The Center
by PieceByPiece16
Summary: Bella and Edward meet and instantly have a deep connection. They are mates. No angst. Some non cannon aspects such as pasts and mating connection details. All canon couples.
1. Prologue

**AN: This story has been proofread and edited October 14,2017. Please remember to check out my pinterest page for this story. Link on my profile.**

EPOV

The drive to Forks is long and tedious. At least I don't have to worry about stopping for food or for the restroom like the rest of the drivers on the highway. I'm heading back to be with my family. For the last four years I have been spending time with our "cousins" in Denali, Alaska. My family is made up of three mated couples: Carlisle and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper. I have always been the odd man out. When I decided to leave for a little while, I did so selfishly. I couldn't stand to be around all of that love and devotion when I have no one that I can share those things with. Sometimes being able to read people's minds isn't as glamorous as everyone thinks, in fact, most of the time it isn't. I have lived for over 100 years without my mate. I know she is out there somewhere, but as I head back to Forks, Washington to act out life as a high school senior I'm not sure I will ever find her.


	2. Chapter 1

BPOV

I'm pulled out of my sleep by a persistent knocking on my bedroom door.

"Come in." I call. I already know who it is, so there's no need to ask. Charlie is the only one who would be knocking on my door this early.

"Hey Bells. Happy last first day of school." Charlie calls happily.

"Hey Dad." I grumble. "What time is it?"

"It's early, but I have to head off to the station and I thought you might like the extra time to get ready."

"Yeah, thanks Dad. I'll jump in the shower once I'm fully conscious."

"Okay Bells," he laughs "I'm heading out, so I'll see you tonight. Have a good day."

"Bye" I mumble into my pillow.

I hate mornings. Especially this one. I know I should be happy that I am a senior and this is the start of my last year of high school, but honestly, I'm not. I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life once I graduate. I've always known that I wanted to do something in literature, but I don't know exactly what. I don't think that college right out of high school is the right move for me. I don't want to sit in a classroom and listen to professors tell me how to write, I just want to go out there and write what's on my heart. However, being a writer isn't the most stable career in the world. Maybe as this year progresses I'll figure out how I want to live my life after high school. Maybe there's a reason I am holding back planning the rest of my life.

I roll over and look at the picture of my mother I have on my nightstand. It's been four years since she died and I still miss her everyday.

My mom, Renee, was extremely hair brained and spontaneous, but she always knew what she wanted for herself and her life; it is one of the things I admire so much about her. Then one rainy night and one drunk driver took it all away. Why bother planning for your future when you never know if you'll even be here to live it? I place a kiss on my mom's picture and climb out of bed.

Once I've showered and dried my hair so that it lays in curls down my back, I put on my clothes for the day; just a simple jeans and t-shirt. I'm not really the type of girl to dress up everyday, but I still want to look presentable. My t-shirt fits nicely as do my jeans, accentuating what little assets I have. I swipe some makeup on my face, just enough to show off my features, and head downstairs.

After I've eaten my breakfast, a pop tart the breakfast of champions, I brush my teeth and head off to school.

When I was sixteen my dad bought me a truck for my birthday. I love it. It's old and rustic and has more character than any new age car on the planet. Sure it's loud and can't go faster than 55 MPH but I still love it because it's mine.

I make it to school in just a few minutes, one of the advantages of living in a small town. I made sure to get here a little early so I have time to find my locker and make sure it actually opens.

I swing my backpack over my shoulder and start walking across the parking lot. As I get closer to the school, I notice Alice Cullen standing by her car watching me. She has a strange blank look on her face. I've known Alice since I started school in Forks my freshman year of high school. Her and her siblings were new that year also. She has two brothers and one sister. They are all adopted. She is also dating one of her adopted brothers. Some people judge her because of that, but it's not my business so I just let it go. I've talked to her a few times and she is a little odd but still nice.

As I'm watching the odd expression on her face, I bump into a wall; I'm not the most coordinated person in the world. As I'm falling backwards, strong hands reach out to grab my arms and steady me. Once I've regained my balance I look up to thank my savior and see the most beautiful man I've ever seen.

He has crazy hair that is the color of pennies, a beautiful face wearing a serious expression, and bright butterscotch eyes that are looking at me very intensely. As I'm looking into his eyes, I feel like my heart is being pulled towards him. I put my hand on my chest to try to stop the uncomfortable feeling. It doesn't help. I'm getting more uncomfortable and eventually it's becoming painful. I look up into my angel's eyes and find they look petrified as they look down at my pained and confused face. Suddenly I feel like I'm falling. My body goes limp and my eyes roll back into my head. The last hear before I black out is an angelic voice calling my name.


	3. Chapter 2

EPOV

I have been home for about a month. It's odd to be with my family again, but it's also refreshing to be around the people who understand me best.

Today is our first day of school. I'm playing a senior this year with Alice and Jasper. Rosalie and Emmett graduated last year and are having another honeymoon somewhere in Europe. We are a family but sometimes the mated couples like go off on their own for a little while. It's a chance for them to reconnect as a couple.

We need to leave for school soon but I am putting off getting read. I am not exactly excited to go spend 8 hours a day with a bunch of teenage humans. The others are spending time with their mates, and getting ready for school.

I have to get to school early today since this will be my first year at Forks High. I need to register and talk to the office to make sure they have put me in the right classes. Reluctantly I get up and start getting dressed for the day. My wardrobe is not complicated. Today I choose a simple pair of light jeans and a dark blue v neck shirt. Simple. I run my fingers through my hair trying to tame it down a bit, and I'm ready to go. As a vampire we don't have to wear deodorant or brush our teeth or do any of the normal morning routines of humans. We shower after hunting to wash the debris and blood off of our bodies, but that is really all of the hygiene rituals we need. Slipping on my shoes, I grab my keys and head downstairs. I call up to Alice and tell her to hurry up. I'm not going to be late because she is busy getting ready. She's a mated and married vampire for goodness sakes. What could possibly be taking this long?

Finally Alice and Jasper come down the stairs.

"I don't even want to hear it Edward. Just because you don't care about your appearance doesn't mean that we all feel that way. Besides we won't be late. Trust me." Alice says while winking at me.

"Hey I care about what I look like but not enough to take two hours to get ready." I quip back at her.

"Well maybe one day you'll meet someone who makes you want to look your best" she tells me while looking at Jasper dreamily.

"Yeah that's not likely here in Forks." I grumble. She just rolls her eyes at me.

We go outside and hop in my Volvo, because I insist on driving, and head off to Forks High School. Alice is bouncing all over the car.

"I'm so excited! I love the first day of school, and this is going to be an important one; I can tell." Alice sang while jittering all over the seat. I just roll my eyes at her in response.

We get to the school in just a few minutes and we all pile out of my car. As I'm shutting my door, I'm pulled into a vision that Alice is having.

 _Alice, Jasper and I are walking across the school parking lot. I glance to my right and see the most beautiful woman I have ever seen getting out of a monstrous truck. She looks up at me with deep brown eyes and I freeze. Her face contorts and she looks uncomfortable, then she just looks like she's in pain. All of the sudden her eyes roll back and she collapses. As she hits the asphalt I hear her skull dent and crack. I let out an ear piercing scream and rush over to her._

Alice looks up at me with big eyes. _Edward she's your mate. You've found your mate! I can't believe this! This is wonderful! Her name is Isabella Swan but she prefers to be called Bella. I've talked to her a few times and she seems like a very nice girl._

I look at Alice with shock all over my face. I can't believe this. My mate is here. I'm going to be meeting her in just a few minutes. I have to stop the end of that vision from coming true. I can't even fathom the thought of my mate being hurt.

I look over to my right and see an ugly, old truck parked down the way. My mate is in that truck. I'm going to meet her. This is the biggest moment of my life. Finally I see the truck door open and a long slender leg come out. I watch her beautiful body float out of the truck. She is the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen. I find myself moving towards her. As she throws her bag over her shoulder, I wince. A goddess like her should never have to carry her own bags.

She looks up as she's walking towards me, but she doesn't see me yet; she's looking at Alice who is looking at her with a blank expression. Why is she looking at her like that? She's going to scare her off! I'm pulled out of my thoughts when a soft, warm body hits mine. I automatically reach out to steady her, mindful of the strength in my hands. Her hands go to my chest to catch herself and her scent wafts up towards my face. She is the most delicious thing I have ever smelled. I have no blood lust towards her scent at all, but I definitely have a different kind of lust towards her. I love her scent. I want to wrap myself in it and never come out.

Finally I look down and I meet her eyes. She is simply breathtaking. Her perfect cheekbones, cute button nose, luscious lips, and amazing deep brown eyes.

Suddenly she grabs at her chest with her hand. What's wrong? Is she hurting? I'm scared out of my mind. I've never been this scared in my existence. I need to help her. I need her to tell me what's wrong. Let me fix it. Then her body goes limp and her eyes roll back in her head. I catch her right before she falls.

"Bella!" I yell as her eyes fall closed.

What do I do? I look over at Alice and she nods at me. _Take her and her truck to her house. We will take the Volvo home after school._

I nod at her in thanks and pick up my mate in my arms. She's so soft and warm. She's as light as a feather. I put her in the passenger's seat of her truck and look around to see if anyone saw me. My luck they would think I'm kidnapping the police chief's daughter. There doesn't seem to be anyone around. Thank God we got to school early. I get into the drivers side of the truck and find the keys in the ignition. Oh my sweet trusting mate. I pull out of the parking lot and start thinking about how I'm going to explain all of this to my Bella. This is going to be interesting.


	4. Chapter 3

BPOV

The first thing I notice as I'm waking up is the rumble of my truck beneath me and in my ears. I take inventory of my body. I feel fine. I can feel the leather seat underneath me, and my head is laying against something cold and hard, I assume it's the window. I'm trying to remember what happened. How did I get in my truck asleep? And more importantly who is driving?! With that thought, my eyes shoot open. I look over and see my angel driving. I had been laying my head on his shoulder. It all comes flooding back to me. I ran into him and immediately felt a connection to him. The connection and feelings were so strong that I passed out. I realize that I'm staring at him with my mouth open. What do I say? _Hello. Who are you and why are you driving my truck? By the way you're really beautiful and I feel a strange but strong connection to you._

We pull in my driveway and his eyes flick over to me. He doesn't look surprised to see me awake. Maybe he felt me moving. We spend a few seconds just looking into each other's eyes, and feeling the connection and energy flowing between us.

"Hi" I squeak out. Wow Bella. Could you sound anymore pathetic?

"Hello" he replies. His voice is like honey and velvet.

"Who are you? How do you know where I live? What is going on?" I start throwing questions at him. I'm not afraid, which is odd. He is a stranger after all.

"My name is Edward Cullen. I believe you know my sister Alice. And as far as my knowing where you live, you're the police chief's daughter in a small town, everyone knows where you live." He chuckles and then looks quite nervous. "I will explain everything to you, but I would like to go inside first. If that is okay with you. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Okay sure let's go inside. I'm not uncomfortable or afraid. I'm Bella by the way. Bella Swan." I ramble out.

"Well it's nice to meet you officially beautiful Bella" he says and I blush.

Before I know it he's out of the truck and opening my door for me. I thank him as my blush deepens. He just chuckles and lets me lead the way into my house. I grab the key from the eves and open the door.

I lead him into the living room. I have a feeling that I'm going to want to be comfortable for this conversation. He sits on the opposite end of the couch from me which I find odd. Can't he feel the connection we have? Am I the only one? If he doesn't feel it, why is he here?

"What are you thinking so hard about beautiful?" he asks bringing me out of my paranoid musings.

"Nothing important." I mumble feeling my face get hot.

"Oh I highly doubt that, but okay" he replies. "I really don't know where to start. Would you like to ask me questions about what occurred at the school? Or would you just like me to start at the beginning and tell you everything?"

"I think that I would like you to just start from the beginning and tell me everything. I'll stop you if I have questions." I tell him hoping to alleviate some of his fears. I don't like seeing him afraid. What is happening? He is a stranger, Bella, I shouldn't care how he's feeling.

"Okay well I think the first thing you need to know is that I'm not human. I was at one time, but I'm not anymore. I am a… vampire." He says hesitantly. I think he is afraid that I am going to be scared of him. Doesn't he know that I could never be afraid of him?

"Edward I can see that you are afraid of my reaction and there's no reason to be. When I felt such a deep feelings for you the first time I saw you, I knew that you weren't human. I'm not afraid of you. I know I should be, but I can feel that you are a good person. I am a little shocked of course but not scared. Don't be afraid of my reaction. Now please go on." I reassure him as I move closer to him and put my hand over his. His skin is so soft, like velvet; well velvet that has been in the freezer. He closes his eyes for a second, a sweet smile on his face before looking into my eyes and speaking again.

"You are truly extraordinary my Bella. Thank you. So I am a vampire" he continues "but my family and I are different from others of our kind. We only drink the blood of animals, not humans. We don't want to be monsters and we don't use what we are as an excuse to kill innocent people. One important aspect that you need to know about vampires is that we mate for life. When we meet our mate, it's an instant connection. You might compare it to humans love at first sight only it's so much more. When we see our mates we immediately feel connected to them. We are instantly comfortable around each other. There is also a deep attraction that goes along with the mating connection and it's deeper than any human lust."

"So I am your mate? Is that what I felt in my chest?"

"You could feel that?"

"Yes it felt like my heart was being pulled out and given to you. It started out as a pleasant feeling but was soon really uncomfortable and overwhelming."

He puts his hand on my cheek running his thumb softly against my skin. I can't help but nuzzle into his hand.

"I'm sorry you were in pain. Yes that is what that was. We are mates. Our hearts, souls, and very beings are connected. I think that it was so overwhelming for you because you are human. As a vampire it is extremely intense but it is a pleasurable feeling; like I had a deep hole inside myself and it is finally being filled. I am finally a whole person. You complete me, Bella. We are mates, forever, if you'll have me."

"Of course Edward! This connection isn't just one way. I feel for you just how you feel for me. My brain is telling me how odd this is and how I should be reacting, but my heart is telling me to trust you. I belong with you Edward. I can feel it. There's no question."

"That is wonderful to hear Bella. I didn't know how the mating would effect you because you are human. I have never seen this before. The only mating I have seen has been between two vampires or vampires and dying humans."

"So what now?" I ask.

"Now we get to know each other just like any other couple. Tell me everything about you." He says eagerly

I laugh. "I don't think I can tell you everything but I can tell you the basics. My full name is Isabella Marie Swan. I am 17 years old. My birthday is in September. I lived with my mom until I was 13 and I moved to Forks when she passed away suddenly." I look down tears forming in my eyes. No matter how long it's been it still hurts to think about that night. Edward puts his arm around me and pulls me into his chest.

"Don't push yourself love. I don't want you to be upset. You can tell me when you're ready."

I nod. "Thank you Edward. I will tell you about that night eventually but not now. Anyway I have lived with my dad since then. And that's really it. What about you? Tell me about your life."

"Well first of all I doubt that that is 'really it' of your life, but I will ask more questions later. I was born in 1901 in Chicago. When I was 17 my family and I got Spanish influenza. My parents died and I was alone and dying too. Carlisle was my doctor and instead of letting me die, he saved me. He turned me into a vampire in 1918. It was just the two of us for a long time until Carlisle changed his wife and mate Esme. Later he changed Rosalie and Emmett. Finally Alice and Jasper came into our family. Alice had seen us and knew they would be a part of our family."

"What do you mean Alice saw you?" I interrupt him.

"Some vampires have gifts. Carlisle believes that whatever talent you had when you were human transfers over when you become a vampire and it becomes even stronger. Alice must have been precognitive when she was human because now she can see the future. She sees what a person's decision will lead them to. The future is all dependent on what choices people make. Jasper and I also have gifts. Jasper can feel and influence peoples emotions, and I can read minds; well every mind except for yours."

"You can read everyone's mind?" I ask and he nods. "Wow that sounds exhausting and kind of horrible."

Edward barks out a laugh.

"Yes I guess it is. You're the first person that has ever had that judgement. Most people think it is a good thing, but really it isn't. People really can be vial creatures. And I can never shut it off or turn it down. All day everyday I have voices in my head. It can be a nightmare. But around you, its completely quiet. Its extremely refreshing." I smile.

"Well I'm glad that I can be kind of a safe space for you"

"In more ways than one my Bella."

We smile at each other and I snuggle back into his chest.


	5. Chapter 4

BPOV

Edward and I have spent the afternoon just talking about ourselves and our likes and dislikes; from our favorite color to our favorite author. We have a lot in common and I'm starting to think that even if we weren't mates, we would be together. It feels so right being here with him. I feel safe and happy. I haven't felt like that since my mom died.

Eventually I peek at the clock and see that it's time for me to start making dinner before my dad gets home.

"It's my night to cook dinner. Do you maybe want to stay and help me?" I ask. I don't even realize I'm biting my lip until he reaches up and smooths it with his perfect finger. I have to keep myself from moaning at the contact.

"Of course my Bella. Although I don't know how much help I'll be. I haven't eaten human food in over a hundred years. Well at least none that I didn't have to get rid of later."

"That's okay I'll talk you through it." I say, deliberately choosing not to bring up him getting rid of his food.

Edward grabs my hand and we head to the kitchen where I find the ingredients for spaghetti.

"Why don't you make the salad and the bread? Those are the easy parts." I say to Edward.

"Okay I'll try."

"So just take this lettuce and rinse it off. Once that's done just break it apart into the bowl." I instruct as I hand him the lettuce. "Then just slice the tomatoes and carrots and put those into the bowl with the lettuce. Once that's done we'll add dressing and be done."

"Okay that sounds easy enough" he replies looking hopeful.

I go about making the spaghetti. I put the hamburger in a pan to fry and put some water on to boil. After everything is all set and cooking, I turn to help Edward. The sight before me makes me start laughing. Edward is tearing the lettuce and putting it into the salad bowl like I told him, but he has a look of deep concentration on his face. I can tell he's working very hard because he's squeezing the lettuce as he tears it and we now have lettuce soup in the bowl. He looks up when he hears my giggle.

"Um Edward I think I should have been more clear when I told you to rip the lettuce. You want it in bite size pieces like this." I take what's left of the head of lettuce from his hand and tear off a few chunks. "You don't want lettuce mush." I giggle out. He looks a little sheepish. I think if he were human he would be blushing.

"Okay I think I can do it now." I carefully hand him back the lettuce and smirk at him.

I am stirring the hamburger and pouring the pasta into the boiling water when Edward announces that he's done with the salad. It actually looks pretty good now. He left the salad dressing out so that we can put on our own, which is fine with me. I like very little dressing on my salad while my dad likes a lot of dressing and very little vegetables in his salad. I put the salad in the fridge until it's time to eat and turn back to Edward.

"Okay we can start on the bread. It's pretty easy. You just take the french bread loaf and cut it into pieces like this." I find a knife and show him. "Once thats done you'll butter both sides and sprinkle some garlic onto it and we'll put it into the oven. Do you think you can do it?" I ask with a big smile on my face. He rolls his eyes and chuckles at me.

"I think I can." He replies.

I leave him to do that while I check on the noodles and hamburger. They still need a little while to cook so I can start setting the table.

"Are you going to stay for dinner, Edward?"

"I don't think so sweetheart. I would love to spend more time with you but this is your time with your dad and I don't want to infringe on that. Also I would have to purge all of the food back up later, and that's really not fun."

"Okay yeah. I just wish I could spend more time with you."

"Well I was thinking that once Charlie goes to bed, I could come and visit you. I could come in through your window and your dad would never know. That is only if your comfortable with that, of course."

"I would love that Edward. Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me Bella. I want to be with you just as much as you want to be with me. Maybe more." He winks at me.

"Yeah I doubt that." I mumble back at him. He just chuckles and puts the bread in the oven.

By the time I'm done setting the table, the hamburger is done and the spaghetti is ready to be strained. I put the strainer in the sink and pour the pot of water and noodles into it. After that's done, I grab the strained noodles and put them back in the pot. I turn around to take it back to the stove and Edward is looking at me with furrowed brows.

"Whats wrong?" I ask confused.

"I don't like you doing that. Maybe I should strain the pasta next time. Anything could happen. It could splash up and burn you or the steam could hurt your eyes or the pan could burn your hand and you could drop it on your foot. There's too many dangerous things that could happen. I don't think you should cook alone. I will be here to do all of the dangerous stuff." He says then nods his head like he's agreeing with himself.

"Edward I appreciate that you don't want me to get hurt but trust me. I've been cooking since I was in elementary school and I know what I'm doing. I can manage. Thank you for your concern though. It's very sweet."

"Well I still don't like it." He grumbles under his breath. I just roll my eyes at him and smile. He may be being unreasonable but its only because he cares about me and my safety; so really it's kind of sweet.

Dinner is pretty much ready. I'm finishing the spaghetti now and both the bread and the salad are done. Edward insisted on taking the bread out of the oven when it was done. Something about the extreme temperatures and my delicate human skin. I'm pouring the canned sauce into the noodles, I'm too lazy to make homemade, and hamburger that I've mixed together when Edward comes up behind me. I put the can down just as his arms snake around my waist and I lay my hands on his. Every where he touches me leaves a trail of fire and tingles in its place; I never want him to stop. He buries his nose in my hair and takes a deep breath.

"As much as I don't want to leave, I can hear Charlie coming down the street and I think it would be best if he didn't find me here alone with his teenage daughter." I feel him smile into my hair.

"Okay, but I'll see you tonight right."

"You can count on it love. Until then." He kisses the top of my head and when I feel a breeze I know he's gone.

I put the salad on the table along with the dressing and I'm dishing spaghetti onto our plates when I hear my dad come in the front door. His boots clomp on the floor and I can hear him taking his police belt off and to hang it by the door.

"What smells so good Bellsy?" he asks as he comes into the kitchen.

"Hey daddy. It's my night to cook and I made spaghetti for dinner. Are you hungry?"

"Starving. I could eat a horse."

We sit down at the table and start eating.

"So how was your first day of senior year Bells?" Charlie asks as he pours a ridiculous amount of dressing onto what looks like one lettuce leaf.

"It was good dad. I met a new student. His name is Edward Cullen. He is Alice Cullen's adopted brother. He's new this year too" I tell him. "So you want a little salad with your dressing?" He just looks up at me and grins.

"Nope I'm perfectly fine." I just shake my head at him. "So another Cullen huh? I didn't know that they had another child."

"Yeah he just moved here. He's been away at boarding school the past few years. He seems very nice." I tell him trying to be discreet.

"You know Bells you're about as subtle as a hand grenade. Do you like this Edward? Cause if you do I think I might need to introduce myself one day. When I'm on duty. With my gun."

"Seriously dad? You don't need to scare him. And yes I think I like him. He's a cool guy." _Well that's the understatement of the year._

"Well I'll have to meet him Bells. Make sure he's good enough for you." He says looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay dad. You'll meet him I promise." I reassure him.

We spend the rest of our dinner quietly eating. This is the good think about my dad, he doesn't force me to talk if I don't want to, and we're both perfectly fine spending time together without a bunch of chit chat.

Just like every night after dinner we clean up and do the dishes together. It's only fair. He's not my maid and I'm not his. We both ate and dirtied dishes so we both clean. It's also a time that we get to spend together. My dad and I became very close when my mom died.

I put the leftover food into containers for dad to take to work this week for lunches and head into the living room where he's already camped out in front of the tv with a beer.

"You want to watch the game with me, B?" he asks me. I'm not really into sports but sometimes I will watch them on tv with him.

"I don't think so dad. I think I'm just gonna head upstairs and get ready for bed. You know I have to get used to getting up early again."

"Okay kiddo. Just make sure to say goodnight before you go to bed."

"I will dad." I say and head upstairs.

My room is empty when I walk in, so I get my pajamas and toiletries together and go into the bathroom. I do my nightly routine of washing my face and brushing my teeth before I change clothes and head downstairs to say goodnight to my dad.

I kiss him on the cheek and tell him goodnight before heading upstairs. When I get to my room I turn the light on and when I turn around there is Edward standing in front of my window with a big smile on his face. I don't even think before I rush over to him and throw my arms around his neck. I bury my face in his chest and breath in his scent. _He came back._


	6. Chapter 5

BPOV

Edward and I stand in my room with our arms around each other for awhile before he pulls back so he can look in my eyes.

"Well that was some greeting. Did you miss me?" He asks with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Of course I did. I feel incomplete when I'm not with you. Like part of my heart is missing." I tell him as I blush and look at my feet.

He puts his finger under my chin and gently forces me to look him in the eyes.

"I feel the same way love." He tells me and I breath out a sigh of relief.

I smile at him and his eyes sparkle as he smiles back at me. As we stand here in my little bedroom in Forks with me in my pajamas and him looking perfect with his hand on my face, I can feel the electricity bouncing between us. It feels good.

"Can you feel it?" I whisper almost inaudibly not wanting to ruin the moment. I stare at his lips as he answers me. They're beautiful as they move to make the shapes of his words.

"Yes. It's amazing." He answers just as softly.

He reaches up with his other hand and puts it on my cheek so my face rests in his strong hands.

"Bella I would really like to kiss you. May I?" He asks me. I can't speak so I just nod up and down at him. Slowly his eyes drift from mine over my face and land on my lips. His tongue pokes out and moistens his bottom lip as he leans down and gently touches his mouth to mine. It's glorious. The electricity has increased ten fold as I kiss him back and weave my fingers into his silky hair. I suck his bottom lip into my mouth. _Oh my gosh he tastes good_. His hands move from my face down to my hips and around my waist. He's holding me like I'm his lifeline and I'm holding him the same way. Our lips move in perfect synchronization until he gently pulls away and rests his forehead against mine. His eyes are shut and he's breathing just as hard as I am.

"Wow" he whispers.

"Yeah" I breathe and grin up at him.

He opens his eyes and smiles right back at me.

"You're amazing my Bella."

I blush and grab his hand as I walk over to my bed shutting off the lamp and sliding under the covers.

"Will you lay with me?" I ask timidly.

He seems to think it over for a little bit before slipping his shoes off and climbing into bed with me. I breath a sigh of relief as his arm goes around my shoulders and my head lays on his chest. I can't seem to get close enough to him.

"Edward" I whisper. He hums softly in acknowledgement. "Can I ask you something?"

He puts his hand on my cheek as he looks me in the eyes and says "You can ask me anything Bella don't ever worry about that."

"Um well was that your first kiss?" I mumble into his chest. _How embarrassing is this! I can't believe I just asked him that, but I have to know._

"That bad huh?" he chuckles.

I look up at him in horror. "No! That's not what I meant. It was amazing. I was just wondering if it was your first kiss because it was my first kiss. I don't know how experienced you are." He chuckles at me. _Wait a minute. Why is he laughing?_

"My Bella I was only teasing you. Yes that was my first kiss. I have never had a girlfriend before or even a lover. It's only ever been you my Bella." I breathe a sigh of relief and he smiles at me.

"Well I'm glad." I tell him honestly.

"Me too, love."

I cuddle closer to him and close my eyes. I'm so blissfully happy. Everything is perfect. I can feel my Edward softly running his hands through my hair and it slowly lulls me to sleep.

The first thing I notice as I'm waking up is the rain tapping on my window. As I stretch and yawn I remember that Edward is in bed with me. I can feel him breathing against my back and his arm around my waist. When I roll over, the first thing I see is his smiling face, and I can't help but smile back.

"Good morning love" he says

"Good morning. What time is it?"

"It's almost time for you to get up for school. I was going to let you sleep until your alarm but you started waking up."

"That's okay. You stayed with me all night?"

"Of course. I couldn't leave you."

"Weren't you bored?" I can't imagine spending 8 straight hours just lying there while someone else slept.

"No, watching you sleep is very entertaining." He says with a smirk on his face.

"Oh no. I talked didn't I?" He just grins at me. "Ugh!" I groan throwing the blankets over my face. "That's so embarrassing." I can't believe I was talking in my sleep with him here. God only knows what I said. I've always sleep-talked, ever since I was a little girl. My mom would always tell me stories of the crazy things I said when I was asleep.

I feel the blanket being lifted slightly and then it settles back down on my face. I know he's under here with me now, but I refuse to open my eyes. A cold finger starts making its way across my eyelids and down my face until he's tracing my lips.

"My Bella there is nothing for you to be embarrassed about. I love that you talk in your sleep. It gives me a glimpse into your beautiful mind that I can't get into any other way." He whispers to me. I don't want to answer. I don't want to break our little cocoon that we have here in my bed under my blankets, but I have to know what I said.

I crack one eye open and glare at him

"What did I say?" his grins widens

"You said my name a lot and asked me to stay." He said and then looked away shyly.

"Is that all?" I asked suspicious

"You also said that you love me." He peeks up and looks at me.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you like that. I think I loved you from the moment I saw you. You don't have to say it just because I did though. I was planning on waiting but apparently my subconscious thought you needed to know." I can feel my face heating up. _Oh my gosh how embarrassing is this. My brain lets the cat out of the bag and I probably got him off guard and embarrassed him._

"My silly Bella. I love you too. I've loved you since I saw you in Alice's vision. There's no need to be shy with me. I wish I could sleep so that I could dream of you as you dream of me. It makes me happy that I can be with you even as you sleep." he says and then kisses my forehead.

"Thank you Edward. For the first time in my life I can't wait to wake up so that I can be with the real you. I love my dream Edward, but I love you more."

"That's good to know." He smiles and leans down to kiss me. I couldn't be happier to oblige him until I remember that I just woke up. His lips are right in front of mine when I throw my hand in front of my mouth. His eyes grow wide.

"What's wrong?" he asks panicked "I'm sorry love I shouldn't have assumed. Just because we kissed last night doesn't mean that I should take advantage of you whenever I want. I'm so sorry. Forgive me." He says looking ashamed as I start giggling.

"Edward you can kiss me anytime you want, except for when I have morning breath. I have to go brush my teeth."

Now its his turn to laugh.

"Bella I love your scent the way it is. You don't have to worry about morning breath with me. I'm not human and I think you smell…" he runs his nose up my neck making my eyes roll back into my head "delectable. Now may I kiss you good morning?"

I just nod dumbly at him.

When his lips meet mine sparks fly. No, it's more than sparks. More like wildfires. I tangle my fingers in his hair as his hands move up and down rubbing my waist. His lips are moving against mine and they feel like the finest silk. I need more. I poke my tongue out and trace his bottom lip and he groans. His tongue comes out to meet mine and they twist together in my mouth. Now it's my turn to moan. Too soon Edward begins slowing the kiss and with one final barely-there brush of his lips against mine he pulls back. I frown at him and pout my bottom lip out. He chuckles huskily and the sound does something to me.

"I would love to continue love but your alarm has been going off for the past 5 minutes. You need to get ready for school and so do I. I will come pick you up for school in about an hour okay?"

I can't do anything but nod at him and stare at his lips. I can't believe my alarm has been going off and I didn't even notice it. I guess I'm not easily distracted when it comes to Edward's lips. I hear him groan and my eyes snap up to his.

"You have to stop looking at me like you want to devour me love or we will never get out of this bed." I giggle at him.

"Okay. I will see you in a little bit. I love you." His face softens and he gives me a gentle kiss.

"I love you too." He says and gracefully jumps out the window.

As soon as he's gone I run and jump in the shower. I'm running a few minutes late today and I want to spend some extra time getting ready. I wash my hair, my body, and shave my legs in record time.

Soon I'm out of the shower with my hair done and I'm trying to choose something to wear. I'm not really a "wear a dress to school" kind of girl, but I want to look nice for Edward. I choose some light wash jeans that fit me just right, and a navy blue scoop neck sweater. I've always like the way blue looks against my skin and the design of the sweater shows off my chest and waist without being trashy. I pair it with a simple gold locket necklace that I got from my dad on my fifteenth birthday. It has a picture of me with my mom and dad in it. We are all smiling and happy. Even though they got divorced when I was little, they always maintained a good relationship for my sake. I put on some gold stud earrings and my black boots with the small heel, and go into to the bathroom so I can do my makeup. I put it on a little heavier than normal, but not too much for school. I make sure to accentuate all of the assets of my face and hide all of the flaws. With a spritz of perfume, I'm ready to go.

I'm just finishing up my pop-tart when I hear a knock at the door. I know it's Edward and I run to get it. When I open the door his jaw falls open and I hear a low growl come from his chest. I step back to let him come inside and he grabs me around the waist, gently of course, and starts rubbing his face all over mine. He makes his way down to my neck and starts taking long licks up my skin to my jaw bone. I totally relax under his touch and I can feel a low rumble coming from his chest; it sounds like he's purring. Soon he makes his way back up to my face and rubs nose along mine and places a sweet kiss on my lips.

"You look gorgeous my Bella. Almost too good." He breathes out.

"Thank you, I think. What was that?" I ask breathless "When you first came in I was hit with a wave of possessiveness and then you touched me and it went away."

"That was me marking you. It is something that is done between vampire mates and only when they are feeling protective. You looking as delectable as you do and me knowing the vile thoughts that are going to be running through the mind of every male in the school today caused me to become very territorial of you. Also when mates feel a particularly strong emotion their mates can feel it also. I'm sorry if I scared you. I keep forgetting that you don't know all of these things. I will try communicate better." He says looking ashamed.

"I wasn't scared so don't worry. At first I was confused, but once you started touching me I felt relaxed and comforted. " He breathes a sigh of relief and smiles at me.

"Good, that's how it's supposed to feel. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah just let me brush my teeth real quick." I say as I run upstairs.

Once I'm minty fresh, I grab my backpack and meet Edward at the front door. Immediately he takes my bag and puts it on his shoulder.

"Edward it's not that heavy. I can carry it." I protest

"Bella you will never have to carry your own bags again. I am your mate. It makes me happy to take care of you. Please let me." He insists. What girl would turn that down? So I just let it go and make my way to his car. He opens the door for me and soon we are off to our actual first day of senior year.


	7. Chapter 6

BPOV

The ride to Forks High is calm and filled with light touches and classical music. It's so peaceful just being with each other; however, as soon as we pull in the parking lot, I feel Edward tense beside me.

"What's wrong?" I ask concerned.

"Nothing really, I'm just not looking forward to being away from you all day while listening to all of the hormonal thoughts about your beautiful body." He pouts

"Well maybe we'll have some classes together. Let's go get your schedule."

I try to get out, but Edward insists that I wait for him to come around and open my door for me. I think it's a waste of time, but it makes him feel good to take care of me so I just let it go.

We make our way into the school and head toward the main office. I wait outside while Edward checks in and talks to the secretary. Several minutes have passed and I'm starting to get worried that something might be wrong. Peeking through the window I see Edward standing at the desk with a pained look on his face as he looks at the floor and Mrs. Cope is smiling and chatting away at him. Poor guy. I forgot to warn him about how chatty she can be. Smiling, I push the door open and Edward looks at me with big eyes.

"Hi Mrs. Cope! How are you today?" I ask in my most bubbly and sincere voice while inwardly rolling my eyes.

"Bella! I'm doing just fine honey. How are you? Oh! This is Edward Cullen. He's a new student this year. Isn't that fantastic? I was just telling him how much I adore his parents. They are just the sweetest people. Don't you think? I just love how much they do for the community. They've raised some great kids too. Anyway, Edward here is your class schedule and a map of the school. If you need any help don't be afraid to ask."

"Thank you Mrs. Cope. I'm sure I can find my way." He says and starts moving to the door, almost a little too fast.

"Tell your parents I say hello!" She calls after us as we basically run out of the office.

As soon as we are out of the door Edward leans against the wall looking exhausted.

"You are my hero, Bella! Who knew a person could talk so fast and so much in such a small amount of time? And don't even get me started on her thoughts. She's more than just a little fond of my father." He shudders.

"That's Mrs. Cope for you" I laugh "You never go to see her without a buddy who can help you get out again. Sorry I should have warned you."

"Yes you really should have." he grumbles "Anyway here's my class schedule. Let's compare."

"Well it looks like we have Spanish, Pre-Cal, and Chemistry together. We also have the same lunch." I say after a minute of comparison.

"Well I guess that's better than nothing" he says clearly disappointed.

"Yeah I guess. I wish it could have been more though."

"Me too." He says as the first bell rings. "Come on we better go or we're going to be late."

We make our way to Spanish class which we both have first and find seats together in the back. Since we missed yesterday, we get a couple of curious glances from other students. Finally the last bell rings and Mr. Murphy calls the class to order. He introduces Edward as the new student and makes Edward stand up and say a little bit about himself. I snicker the entire time, thankful that I'm not the one who is new this year.

Finally we make it to the end of the day. Lunch was interesting with Alice and Jasper. They are complete polar opposites of each other and are fun to watch. Alice went on and on about taking me shopping and we made a date to go to the mall. Jasper just sat there with a smirk on his face. I guess he's glad that she found a new shopping partner. Oh well, I don't mind shopping, and I need some new clothes anyway. Eventually Edward rescued me from Alice's ramblings about shoes and designers by saying we needed to go to our lockers before class. Nice save.

Edward and I only had three classes together but I have three others with Alice or Jasper. Government is my last class of the day and it's the only one I have without one of the Cullens with me.

Mrs. Jones is a new teacher this year and she teaches Government and Economics. I had Econ earlier in the day with Alice, so Mrs. Jones and I have already met.

There's only one empty seat left when I walk into the room, Edward and I must have spent too long in the hallway together. As I sit down, I notice Mike Newton behind me. He has had a crush on me since I moved to Forks. He asked me out during our sophomore year, but I politely declined. He's not bad looking and he's a nice guy, but he's just not my type. _Obviously because he's not a beautiful vampire with golden eyes and bronze hair._ Even though I turned him down we are still friends and talk occasionally.

I smile politely at him as I sit down, but can't say anything more because the bell rings and Mrs. Jones starts introducing herself. I heard her speech earlier today so thankfully I can just zone out while she's talking.

Edward is in English class right now with Alice. Each time he had to leave me today, it got harder and harder. He explained to me that since we are in the early stages of our mating that our need to be around each other is very strong. After a little while it will lessen, but it will never fully go away. Right now it is actually physically uncomfortable for me to be away from him. I can feel how uncomfortable and anxious he is and it makes me feel even worse; just one of the side effects of being mates.

The clock says we only have twenty minutes until school is over, and I'm getting really antsy. I need Edward.

Mrs. Jones starts passing out our books and wants us to read chapter one so that we can discuss it before class is over. I only manage to get halfway through it before I can't focus anymore. Only 10 more minutes.

"Isabella? Are you paying attention?" Mrs. Jones asks, pulling me from my thoughts

"What?"

"I asked you to name the three branches of government and why there are three separate branches."

I don't know the answer. _What am I gonna say?_

"Legislative, Judicial and Executive are the three branches of government and we have them separate so that they can keep each other in check." Mike suddenly calls out from behind me.

"Thank you Mr. Newton." Mrs. Jones says before she moves on to another topic. I turn around to thank Mike and he just nods at me and smiles.

Finally the last bell rings and I can't get out of my seat fast enough. I'm heading to the door when I hear Mike behind me.

"Hey Bella wait up" he yells.

"Sorry Mike I really have to go" I say without even turning around.

"That's okay I'll catch up. Are you feeling alright? What happened back there?" He asks concerned and lays a friendly hand on my shoulder. Immediately I'm filled with overwhelming fear and everything goes black.

EPOV

I hate this. I can hardly stand being away from Bella. At least I can watch her through the eyes of the other people in her classroom, my poor mate doesn't have that advantage. I know we are both feeling anxious and uncomfortable, and we are feeding off of each other which is making it worse. Only ten more minutes and then I can go to her. I hate the thought of her being in pain or even a little bit uncomfortable. I wish I could take it all away. I would gladly feel twice as bad as I do now if she would feel no discomfort.

I'm currently watching Bella through the mind of Mike Newton who is sitting close to her and surprisingly is paying attention to class.

" _Isabella? Are you paying attention?"_

 _Uh oh Bella has been spacing out. I don't think she knows the answer. She's going to be so embarrassed. She's just sitting there. Why isn't she saying anything? Maybe if I tell Mrs. Jones the answer she will lay off Bella._

And there's goes Mike Newton in to save the day. He's lucky his thoughts are purely of a friendship manner or I would rip him limb from limb. Suddenly Alice's thoughts cut in and I turn to look at her sitting next to me.

 _Bella's fidgeting in her seat and she jumps up when the bell rings. She's moving surprisingly fast for a human towards the door. Mike calls out for her and she doesn't slow down as she answers him. When he puts his hand on her arm I let out a low grown and Bella faints. (End of vision)_

 _Edward you won't make it in time but you have to go. I don't know what happened but Mike just decided to try to talk to her when she couldn't answer that question in class. He wanted to make sure she was okay—_

I can't do anything but look at Alice in horror as her thought is interrupted with the bell. Something is wrong with my Bella and I won't make it in time to prevent it.

I jump out of my seat and barely able to maintain my human facade as I rush towards Mrs. Jones' classroom. I arrive just in time to see Bella falling to the floor and I reach out and catch her in my arms. Newton's thoughts are going crazy.

 _I don't know what happened. She was acting funny and I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I hope I didn't cause this. Oh man look at how Edward's looking at me. He's going to kill me._

I must be looking at him too intensely and I try to relax my face. I don't know what happened, but if he did anything to hurt my Bella I will kill him. Slowly.

I'm running my hands all over Bella's face as I sit on the floor with her in my lap. Mrs. Jones and all of the students from the class are gathered around us, but I don't care. I just want Bella to open her eyes. I look over at Alice with a raised eyebrow.

 _She'll open her eyes in about thirty seconds Edward. She's going to be disoriented at first. I think we should take her to Carlisle so he can tell us what happened and if she's okay. He's at home today._

I agree with her, but I don't let her know. I can't concentrate on anything until I know that Bella is awake. Soon I see her eyelids fluttering just like Alice said.

"Bella? Please wake up love. I need to see you. I need to know that you're okay." I whisper to her and her eyes slowly open.

"What happened? Why am I on the floor in the middle of class? Ugh what did I trip over this time?" She groans and I can't help but smile at her.

"Everything is fine love, you just fainted. I think we need to take you to see my dad and make sure there's nothing wrong." I say loud enough for everyone to hear. I don't want anyone calling an ambulance. There's only one doctor I want looking at my mate.

"You want me to meet your dad?" Bella asks scared.

"Of course that would be the part you focus on. Yes love I think he needs to examine you to make sure you're okay." I tell her "Now lets go." I pick her up in my arms and start carrying her to the Volvo.

"Edward put me down I can walk." She hisses.

"Bella you just fainted in a classroom when another man touched you and I wasn't there to protect you. Please let me hold you." I beg her. I just can't bear the thought of putting her down right now.

"Alright but if I get too heavy, you can let me walk." I just laugh as I open the car door and put her gently in the seat.

"You don't weigh a thing, beautiful." Kissing her nose I chuckle and shut the door.

Alice is flitting along behind me holding Bella's backpack in one hand and Jaspers hand in the other. They climb in the backseat and we squeal out of the parking lot.


	8. Chapter 7

BPOV

We're on our way to Edward's house and it's starting to feel like we're never going to get there. We turned off of the highway about five minutes ago and we're driving down a long curvy road through the forest. Alice is talking my ear off about some new clothing line that is coming out this year. At least I think that's what she's talking about. I'm not really listening. I can't believe I'm going to meet Edward's parents. Well I've met Carlisle before on my many trips to the ER, but now it's different. I'm going to be meeting him as Edward's mate. I've never met Esme, but I've heard wonderful things about her from Edward. I'm so nervous I'm practically vibrating in my seat. I know Edward can feel it because he's holding my hand and running his thumb across my palm soothingly. It's not working. _What if they don't like me? What if they disapprove of our relationship because I'm human? What if Edward pulls away from his family because of me? I know he would never leave me because neither one of us would survive it, but what if they don't like me so he pulls away from them?_

"I wish I could hear your thoughts right now my Bella so I could calm your fears. There's nothing to be nervous about. They're going to love you for all of the reasons I love you." Edward says calmly.

"I love you too…but I'm still nervous." I tell him. He just sighs and kisses the back of my hand.

Finally there's a break in the trees and a large white house comes into view. Well, house might be an understatement, this place is more like a mansion. One whole side is made up of glass. I can only imagine the beautiful view they have from inside. Next to the house is what looks like a large garage. My suspicions are confirmed when we pull in and I see about a dozen different vehicles. My mouth falls open and I'm pretty sure my jaw is on the floor.

"You'll catch flies that way love." Edward laughs

"Holy cow! Why do you need this many vehicles? This is ridiculous." He just shrugs like its no big deal.

"We like cars. Now come on, let's go talk to Carlisle"

He's at my door before I can even reach for the handle. He grabs my hand and we walk inside together.

The inside of the house is just as beautiful as the outside. After giving my coat to Edward to hang up, we walk into the living room. I think I might throw up when I see Edward's parents sitting on the couch. They both look up at us and smile in greeting.

"Hello Bella, welcome to our home." Carlisle says as he stands. He looks at Edward and I see Edward nod briefly before Carlisle gives me a soft hug.

"Thank you for having me Dr. Cullen" I tell him as I awkwardly hug him back. "Your house is amazing. Seriously. You should have a tour guide." _Nice Bella! Again with the word vomit._

He just laughs. "Thank you Bella and please call me Carlisle. It's nice to see you when you're not injured." He winks playfully at me and I just blush.

"Bella this is my mom, Esme." Edward says as he directs me to the breathtakingly beautiful woman who is now standing behind Dr. Cu- Carlisle. She smiles brightly at me and rushes to hug me.

"Isabella! It's so nice to meet the woman who has stolen our Edward's heart." _How can someone who is technically below freezing give me such a warm and motherly hug?_

"It's just Bella please Mrs. Cullen"

"You can call me Esme dear if I get to call you Bella. The name suits you. You are very beautiful."

I blush as Edward murmurs his agreement.

"Well I'm guessing this isn't just a social call, so why don't you tell us what's wrong?" Carlisle says and raises an eyebrow at Edward. He leads us to sit down and Edward surprises me by sitting in a giant overstuffed chair and pulling me onto his lap.

"There was an incident at school that we would like to talk to you about, Carlisle. And I also would like for you to give Bella a physical exam."

"Of course, its not trouble at all. Why don't you tell me what happened and then we can go up to my office."

Edward starts telling the whole story of the school day including how anxious it is to be away from each other. I fill in the blanks of his story about Mike and he does the same about after I passed out.

"We don't know what happened but as soon as Mike touched me, I immediately went unconscious. Do you think it could have something to do with the mating connection? Or do you think I'm sick?" I ask anxiously.

"Well you said that you were feeling very anxious and antsy while being away from each other correct?"

"Yes" Edward answers while I nod.

"Isabella were you feeling any pain before Mike touched you?"

I blush and look down.

"Maybe a little. The longer I was away from Edward the more uncomfortable I got and eventually it was becoming painful."

"Why didn't you tell me love?" Edward murmurs in my ear pulling me tighter against his chest.

"I didn't want to worry you and besides it goes away once you're with me so it's not a big deal."

"You being in any kind of pain is a big deal to me love"

"I'm sorry." I tell him and kiss him softly on the lips.

"Well," Carlisle starts, "I think what happened has everything to do with the mating connection. When vampires are newly mated they become uncomfortable when they are away from their mates. Bella I asked if you were in pain or just discomfort because I've never dealt with a healthy human who has mated with a vampire before. I want to know what effect the connection is having on you." He explains and I nod. "Another aspect of the connection between newly mated vampires is that when a person of the opposite sex touches you, it is extremely uncomfortable and even painful sometimes. Vampires are very territorial creatures especially with their mates. Now after some time, you will learn to have someone of the opposite gender touch you without it hurting, but it will always be uncomfortable." He stops as if to see if we understand and we nod at him to go on. "Now I think the reason you fainted Bella is because your human body can't deal with the vampire feelings that are happening to you. You hurt more when you're away from Edward because as a human you are weaker and unable to handle the separation like a vampire. I think you fainted when Mike touched you for the same reason."

"So no male will ever be able to touch me except Edward?" I ask interrupting him. "What about my dad? What about walking down a crowded hallway? I can't pass out every time a guy brushes up against me!"

"Well I think the reason you reacted to drastically today to Mike touching you is because your body was already under so much stress from being away from Edward for so long. I believe that if Edward had been with you, you wouldn't have fainted it just would have been uncomfortable and possibly painful. To answer your other question, in vampires this does not apply to family and I think the same thing has happened to you. I hugged you when you arrived and you had no pain correct?" I nod in agreement. "Because I changed Edward and my venom runs through him, we are family. We will have to see how you respond to Emmett when he and Rosalie come home, but I think it will be the same because I changed him also. Emmett, Edward, and I all have a venom connection because I changed each of them. Also when was the last time you touched Charlie?"

"I kissed his cheek last night and we were constantly bumping into each other as we did dishes."

"Did you feel any discomfort then?"

"No, not that I noticed."

"Than my theory proves correct. Charlie is your father, therefore half of you was made from him. You are a part of him. So he should be able to touch you without any problem. This aspect of the connection isn't meant to keep you from showing affection to your family, it is to protect you from other males who might have inappropriate intentions. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah it does. Wow this mating vampire stuff is going to take a little while to get used to." I say kind of dazed, and they all chuckle.

"Don't worry Bella. I'll help you." Edward whispers in my ear.

"Now about your medical exam. Do you feel sore anywhere? Edward you said you caught her before she hit the ground, but did any part of her hit?" I shake my head as does Edward. "Than I think there is no reason for an exam. The cause of your fainting spell was purely because of the mating connection and if Edward caught you when you fell than there's no reason to worry."

"Thank you Carlisle for all of your help." Edward says "Now I think if you don't mind Bella and I are going to go up to my room and spend a little time together before I have to take her home."

"No problem at all. Make sure you say goodbye before you leave Bella." Esme says.

Edward stands with me in his arms as I nod at Esme. Suddenly Edward's moving at a ridiculous speed up the stairs. I squeal and bury my face in his neck. His chest rumbles as he laughs. We come to a sudden stop and Edward sets me on my feet.

"Whoa" I say as I sway and try to catch my balance. Edward grabs a hold of my shoulders to steady me. "You do that all of the time?"

"Yep." He grins and nods "I love it. It's one of the only good things about being a vampire."

"Okay, well we'll have to do it again sometime, with a little warning, so that I can see what you like so much about it." He agrees and grabs my hand pulling me into the room. The first thing I notice is a giant bed in the middle of the room. _Why would he need that? He doesn't sleep._ I blush as I think about all of the reasons he would want a bed besides to sleep in.

"Alice got us that the first day we met. She saw that it might come in handy." He says as my blush deepens. I move quickly past the bed, trying to ignore it, and come to a stop in front of his bookshelves. He has more music than anyone I've ever seen, and his sound system looks ridiculously expensive.

"I know you said you love music, but this is a little overkill."

"I know, but I never know what I'm going to be in the mood to listen to. Being a vampire means I have a lot of down time."

 _I guess that makes sense._ On the other side of the room is a black leather couch pushed up against the all glass wall. Walking over I admire the view and rest my hand on the glass. I feel Edward's cold body come up behind me and his arms snake around my waist.

"Do you want to talk about what Carlisle said? I know it's a lot to take in." He asks as he nuzzles his face into my neck. As if I could talk or even think while he's doing that.

"I don't know. I don't really have a problem with it. I don't really want other guys touching me anyway. As long as you're with me it will be okay. I was mostly worried about my dad and your family, but it sounds like that's not an issue. It's also good to know that it swings both ways. I don't want any girls touching you."

"You don't need to worry about that Bella. The only woman I want touching me is you. You're the only one I see."

I reach back and run my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck.

"Good" I whisper.

"Mmmm" he hums in reply as he starts kissing my neck and I tilt my head to the side to give him better access.

Eventually he spins me around and kisses me quickly but passionately.

"So we have an hour or two before I have to take you home. What do you want to do?" He asks after I catch my breath.

"We could listen to music and just talk. We are still kind of getting to know each other."

"Sounds perfect, love" he says and walks over to the stereo to turn some music on, classical of course.

"You know there are other genres of music?" I ask, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

He grins up at me.

"I know" he says but doesn't change the music. I just roll my eyes.

We end up cuddling on the giant bed, using up only about a fourth of it, talking about our pasts.

"It was crazy" I tell him laughing "The blender exploded and stained three of the four walls in our kitchen. We had to paint the fourth wall red just to make it match. That was the last time I ever let my mom use the blender." I laugh. "It's nice to talk about my mom and not be sad. Of course, I'll always miss her, but we had some really good times together."

"I wish I could have met her. I would thank her for you. She raised you to be the woman you are and I couldn't be more thankful for that."

I don't know what to say so I just kiss him softly.

"She was an amazing woman. That night changed my life forever…in more ways than one." I finish in a quiet whisper.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He asks timidly.

"Yeah I want you to know."

"Take your time love"

"It was a rare stormy day in Phoenix, and I had to stay late at school. It was a Friday and I was tutoring younger kids in English for extra credit. I was only 13, so of course I didn't drive. On normal school days I would walk home or ride the bus depending on the weather. Well the school bus had already left of course and I didn't want to walk in the rain. I was so selfish." I whisper and I feel Edward squeeze me and kiss my forehead "Anyway I called my mom to pick me up. It was so dark out and it was raining really heavily. It was normally about a ten minute drive, but mom was being extra cautious because of the rain. We were almost home when we were t-boned on the driver's side. It was a drunk driver that hit us. Our car flipped twice before landing in the ditch." I feel Edward blow out a long breath against the top of my head. "I woke up in the hospital three days later. My dad was there. He had flown out as soon as he heard about the accident. They told me that my mom died on impact and likely felt no pain. I guess that was supposed be a comfort. I had a broken arm, a broken ankle, lots of cuts and bruises, a concussion, and a broken rib. I also had some internal damage. They had to rush me to surgery. My uterus was damaged in the accident and they did everything they could to stop the bleeding but the damage was too extensive." I take a deep breath "I'll never be able to have children." I whisper.

I twist to lay on my back. Lifting up my shirt I show him the scar on my lower belly where they cut me open. "I lost almost everything that night. The only thing I had left was my dad…until I met you." I look up and find Edward looking back at me with the saddest eyes. He wipes away my tears softly and kisses my forehead.

"You're so strong Bella. So strong. I can't even bear to think about what could have happened to you that night. I'm so sorry love. I'm so sorry." He whispers over and over. I can't say anything so I just lay there and let the tears roll down my cheeks. He kisses each one of them away. Slowly he brings his hands to the bottom of my shirt and lifts it just enough so he can see my scar again. He runs his finger across it so gently that I can barely feel it. Soon he leans down and follows the path of his fingers with his lips. My breath hitches and a new round of tears start.

"I love you so much Bella. More than you'll ever know."

"I know Edward. Believe me, I know. I love you too."


	9. Chapter 8

BPOV

"Charlie's home. He's wondering where you are." Edward says as we pull into my driveway.

Today has been a crazy day, and I'm happy to be home, but I'm not happy that Edward has to leave again.

"Oh no! I forgot to leave him a message that I would be home late. I hope he isn't too worried."

"No he's not. He just got home from work. He had to stay late at the station because of a big case he's working on." He tells me and I breathe a sigh of relief. Sometimes it's nice to have a mate who can read minds.

Putting the car in park, Edward turns to me.

"Do you think I should come in?"

"Um I think we should wait awhile before you meet my dad. I just don't know how he's going to react. We've only known each other for two days really. Is that okay?"

"Yeah whatever you want. I think I should meet him soon though. I don't want it to seem like we're keeping anything from him."

"Okay I'll think about it."

He smiles and leans over the console to kiss me, his hand sliding up into my hair. Holding in a groan, I kiss him back with everything I have. Our lips are moving in sync with each other like we have been doing this our whole lives rather than a few days. His tongue is running along mine, tasting me like he can't get enough, and my hands have grabbed onto his hair. I have to come up for air, but I'm not done kissing him. Moving my lips to his neck and my hands to his chest, I continue my kisses up and down the column of his throat. His deep moan letting me know that he likes what I'm doing. Continuing on my path, I reach his ear and suck the earlobe into my mouth and nibble on it a little with my teeth.

"Oh God" Edward moans into my ear encouraging me. I make my way back up to his mouth as his hands slide around my waist and up the back of my shirt caressing my skin.

"Mmmm you feel so good Bella. So warm and so soft." He says running his hands along all of the skin he can reach.

Suddenly he pulls away completely and I look up in time to see my dad's head poke through the curtains. Edward and I are still panting and I see him try to adjust himself.

"That was incredible." he tells me as I catch my breath

"Yeah it was. I don't want to stop." I pout

"I don't either love but we have to. I will see you later tonight after Charlie goes to bed." He says and then he sucks my pouting bottom lip into his mouth and runs his tongue across it. "Sorry, I can't resist when you put it out there."

I just smile at him.

"I love you. I'll see you later." I tell him as I get out of the car and go up to the house.

Charlie is waiting for me with a cheesy grin on his face when I come in the door.

"Hi Bells. Who was that? You guys were in the driveway for an awful long time."

"That was Edward, dad." I tell him completely and deliberately ignoring his statement.

"Oh I see. And when do you think I'll get to meet this Edward?"

"I don't know dad we'll have to see how it goes"

"Okay B, but honestly if he's important to you I would like to meet him and get to know him." He tells me getting serious.

"Okay dad. I'll talk to him about it." I say "So what's for dinner?"

"Well since it's my night to cook I decided to grill steaks. I was just getting them ready. You want to make some sides while I'm manning the grill?" he asks as we walk into the kitchen.

"Sure dad. How about baked potatoes?"

"Sounds good Bells" he tells me as he puts his apron on. It's the one I got him for Father's Day last year and it always makes me giggle when he wears it. It has a picture of a woman's body with a bikini on. Ever since I bought him that apron, he wears it every time he cooks.

He struts his stuff out to the grill carrying the steaks leaving me laughing in the kitchen.

'That's the last one, so I'm going to go up to my room dad. I have homework." I tell him as I dry the plate and put it in the cabinet.

"Okay Bells. I'm going to hit the hay soon too. I have to be up early tomorrow. So I'll just say goodnight now."

"Goodnight dad. Love you."

"Love you too Bells."

With a quick hug and a kiss to my forehead we head upstairs. I head into my room and change into one of the nicer nightgowns that I have. It's light blue with spaghetti straps that criss cross along my back and it flows down just above my knees. It's stretchy and comfortable while being cute and sexy. I pile my hair up into a messy bun on top of my head and sit down at my desk. I actually do have some homework that I need to start on.

I'm just finishing with my the last of my math homework when I feel a cold finger playing with the straps along my back.

"I like this." Edward says still running his fingers along my bare skin

"Thanks. It's comfortable."

"Mmmm" he hums in reply "Are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah I am. I'm actually exhausted. It's been a long day." I tell him as I close my books and go to turn my light off. Sitting on my bed is a medium sized box with a big bow on it.

"I brought you something. Alice saw that we might like this so she got one for us." He tells me as he sits on my bed and takes his shoes off.

Inside the box I find what looks like a thick blanket. When I pull it out, I find all of the wires at the other end of it.

"It's a heated mattress pad. This way I can hold you under the covers all night and you won't get cold." Edward tells me as he starts pulling things off of my bed so he can install it.

"That's kind of brilliant. Remind me to thank Alice."

It takes Edward about a minute to have the mattress pad ready and my bed remade. We crawl under the covers and my head automatically goes to his chest and he wraps his arms around me.

"I can already feel it warming your skin. Does that feel weird?" I ask him

"No, not at all. It actually feels nice." He says as he lazily runs his fingers up and down my side. When he gets to one spot I jerk over and away from him with a yelp.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you? Did something happen? Are you okay?" He asks me clearly worried out of his mind.

"Everything's fine I'm just a little ticklish right there." I tell him laughing as my face heats up

"Really?" He asks with a devilish grin "I'll have to remember that."

I give him my best withering stare "Not if you know what's good for you, you won't."

He just grins and wiggles his eyebrows at me. Moving back to lay on his chest I make sure to keep his hands above my belly.

"Goodnight. I love you." I say into the darkness.

"I love you too Bella."


	10. Chapter 9

BPOV

"Bella! Are you excited?" Alice squeaks out as pulls out the chair next to me and sits down.

We're in Mrs. Jones's classroom waiting for Econ to start. It's been a little over a week since I passed out after school, and Edward and I are closer than we've ever been. In fact, tonight will be our first official date; which is what I assume Alice is squealing about as she bounces in her chair.

"Yeah I'm really excited. I've never been on a date before, I can't wait." I tell her

"You guys are going to have a great time. Can I come over and help you get ready before?"

"Sure. You can help me decide what to wear. I have a few dresses I'm trying to choose from."

"Awesome!" she says and smiles at me. It's kind of impossible to be in a bad mood around Alice. She is so happy and bubbly, and it's completely genuine.

We don't get to talk anymore because Mrs. Jones comes in and starts class.

I've been thinking about our date all day and I am so excited. Edward and I are very rarely alone. We're at school or his house or my room at night. The only times we're alone is if we go to my house right after school, and then it's only for an hour or so. This is going to be hours of completely uninterrupted Bella and Edward time and I'm so excited. Of course in order to get to our date Edward is going to pick me up which means he will meet my dad. This is one part of the night I'm not looking forward to. I've warned Charlie that he better be nice or I'm only going to make salad for dinner for the rest of the month. He agreed quickly, but that still doesn't mean anything. Edward is the first boy I've ever been interested in so this is Charlie's first time meeting my boyfriend. It's a good thing Edward is bullet proof.

Edward, of course, is excited about meeting Charlie. He explained to me that in his time a boy wouldn't even think about dating a girl without talking to her father first. He feels like we are sneaking behind Charlie's back and he worries that I feel like I have something to hide when it comes to our relationship; neither of which is true. It's just that I can't explain much about our relationship to my dad because most of it is supernatural. How do I introduce him to Charlie? 'Oh hey dad this is my boyfriend Edward. Well he's not just my boyfriend, he's my mate because he's a vampire and there's a supernatural magic holding us together.' Yeah that's not gonna happen. When I asked Edward this he told me to just tell him as much as I can, and let him assume the rest, so that's what I'm going to do. This is really important to Edward so I am making it important and compromising.

Econ is my fifth class of the day, only two left, and the day flies by from there.

As I walk out of my last class, I see Edward leaning against the wall waiting for me looking too much like a greek god for it to be fair. His face lights up as he smiles at me. He takes my backpack and my hand as we walk to the parking lot.

"How was the rest of your day" He asks me.

"Uneventful" I shrug "I can't stop thinking about tonight. I'm so excited."

"Me too, love" he tells me as we get into the Volvo.

The drive to my house only takes a few minutes and we find ourselves sitting in the driveway because neither one of us wants to say goodbye.

"I'll be by to pick you up at seven. Is that okay?" He asks me.

"That sounds fine. That will give Alice and I enough time to make me look presentable."

"Bella you could wear a paper sack and you would still outshine all of the women in the room tonight." He tells me sincerely "but please don't. I don't think that would keep in tune with the restaurant's dress code." He says playfully, winking at me.

"Oh really? So my first hint about where we are going tonight; the dress code is more formal than a paper sack. You know that doesn't give me a whole lot to go on." I tell him. He has been keeping the destination of our date a secret from me, and I'm about to crazy.

"I know, love. That's the point of a surprise." He tells me with a grin. He's enjoying watching me go crazy.

"Yeah yeah whatever." I wave him off. "I really need to go inside so I can shower and get ready. I'll see you at 7"

"I'll be here. Can I make one request about your ensemble tonight?" he asks sheepishly

"Sure"

"Will you wear your hair up? You have a gorgeous neck and I would love to see it tonight for a change."

"I think I can do that. You like my neck? Isn't that kind of stereotypical for a vampire? I thought you weren't like the stories say."

"Oh believe me I'm not. I wont be biting your neck, well at least not in the way other vampires do." He tells me, his voice getting husky. My lady parts clench as my cheeks redden.

"Oh um thats um good to know. So I'll see you tonight." I mumble awkwardly. He just laughs and comes around to open my door.

Kissing me on the forehead he tells me goodbye and he's gone before I'm inside.

"So I think you should go with the purple one. What do you think?" Alice says looking at the three dresses I have laid out on the bed. Of course she would choose the sexiest one. I found three dresses that might work for tonight, a dark purple, a black, and a red. The black one is completely lace. It is short and comes to my mid thigh but the sleeves are long and lacy. The red one is a high necked, sleeveless dress and comes to my mid calf. The purple one is the most risqué of the three. It is a deep, dark purple. It is backless with a halter top that ties around my neck. It is fitted and comes to just above my knees.

"That color looks divine with your skin and the style will make my brother go nuts." Alice continues trying to talk me into it.

"I don't know Alice. Is it too much? I don't know where we're going. I don't want to be too dressed up."

"Believe me Bella it's not too much. It's perfect."

"Alright if you think so." I tell her, giving in.

"Yay! Okay so sit down so I can do your hair and your makeup then you can get dressed." She tells me.

I sit in my desk chair still in my robe with wet hair. I had just stepped out of the bathroom from my shower when Alice appeared out of no where talking a mile a minute about how excited she is for my date.

Immediately she starts brushing and blow drying my hair. Once its dry she ties it into a messy bun and loosely braids strands from my hairline back into the bun. She leaves a few curls hanging loose and spritz it with some hairspray.

"Okay your hair is done so don't touch it. Now I need to start on your makeup."

I just shut my eyes and let her do what she wants. I know she'll do a good job. I can feel her swiping and rubbing all over my face for what feels like forever. The front door shuts and I hear my dad's boots on the stairs.

"Hey Bells you up here?" He yells

"Yeah I'm in my room dad." I reply. He pushes my door open and leans against the doorframe.

"Hi Mr. Swan. I'm Alice Cullen, I'm here to help Bella get ready for her date." Alice says waving from her perch in front of me.

"Hello Alice. You can just call me Charlie, and it seems like you've done a good job. Bella, you look beautiful."

"Thanks dad." I tell him, blushing.

"There! That's all you need was some color. My work here is done. Why don't you put your dress on and I'll find some shoes that might work." Alice tells me.

"Yeah..uh..I'll just uh go change out of my uniform. Bye girls." Charlie tells me as his face turns red and he awkwardly runs out of the room. Oops too much girl talk.

I slip the dress on with Alice's help, making sure not to mess up my hair or my makeup. Alice chose three different pairs of shoes for me to pick from: black pumps, silver flats, and sparkly silver high heels. I choose the black pumps. They aren't too high and they aren't too flashy. Alice frowns as I make my choice. I bet she wanted me to choose the sparkly ones. I put on some small earrings and a necklace to match. I'm all ready, all I need is perfume. Grabbing the bottle, Alice stops me.

"Trust me Bella you don't need perfume. Edward loves your natural scent. He would rather smell it than an artificial one." She tells me. Huh well I'll have to remember that.

"Thanks Alice." I tell her as we head down the stairs hearing a knock at the door.

"I'll get it" he yells as he past us on the stairs and beats us to the door. I just shake my head. He is way to excited to play the intimidating dad figure. Waiting in the kitchen where Edward can't see me but I can hear him I listen to their conversation.

"Hello how can I help you?" Charlie says in a gruff voice. As if he doesn't know who he is and why he's here!

"Hello sir my name is Edward Cullen and I am here to pick up Bella for our date."

"Oh so you're Edward. I have a few things to say to you. Do you know what it's like to have a daughter Edward? Oh what am I saying of course you don't, so let me tell you. It's like having your heart walk around outside of your chest. She's everything I could ever want in a daughter. She's a wonderful person. Beautiful and smart. A real catch for any guy. She's the most precious thing in my world and I love her more than anything. So I want you to understand that if you hurt her, I will hurt you twice as badly. Understood?"

"Yes sir I understand. I would never hurt Bella. I would die before I let that happen. You can trust me sir. She's safe with me." Edward tells him and I hear Charlie grunt in reply and invite Edward in.

Stepping through the doorway I see that he's wearing a suit and tie. Yummy. Edward in jeans and a t shirt is hot but Edward is a suit is delectable. Looking up at his face I see his eyes darken as he looks at me and his breath hitches.

"Bella you look absolutely amazing. I am honored to have you on my arm tonight." He tells me once he picks his jaw up off the floor.

"Thank you, you look great too. Are you ready to go?" I ask him trying to hurry him out the door, but my dad cuts in before we can move too far.

"Hold on there a second. Edward I expect Bella home by midnight since it's a weekend. Drive carefully and wear your seat belts. I don't want to hear about you being pulled over with my daughter in the car."

"Yes sir I promise."

"Okay than you kids have fun. Remember 12 o'clock and not a minute later." He yells out at us as we head to the car. I just giggle and wave as Edward opens the door for me.

Getting in the driver's side, he looks at me and grins. "Alone at last."

I couldn't agree more.


	11. Chapter 10

BPOV

"Come on Edward you have to tell me where we're going! I can't take it anymore." I whine.

We've been driving for probably 10 minutes and we are headed out of town.

"You have to be patient love." He laughs as he rubs the inside of my knee where his hand has been resting since we got in the car.

"At least give me a hint. Please." I ask giving him my best pouty face and even look up at him through my lashes.

"You are a very dangerous creature love. Fine. We are going to Port Angeles. It will take us about a half hour to drive there so just sit back and get comfortable because that's all you're getting out of me about tonight."

"Okay" I tell him and he just shakes his head when I smile at him victorious. Looking out the window I relax and enjoy the scenery and the feeling of Edward's hand on my thigh. No matter how long I live in Washington, I still can't get over the beautiful nature that surrounds me. When I first moved here, I hated it but now I've grown to appreciate it.

Before I know it Edward is pulling into a parking lot.

"Where are we?" I ask him.

"It's a rare bookstore. I thought you might like it. They have all kinds of books from many different time periods." He tells me.

"This is perfect Edward." He breaths a sigh of relief and comes to open my door.

After helping me out of the car, Edward puts his hand on the small of my back leading me to the store.

"Um Bella I think your dress is missing its back" he tells me in a low voice.

"Nope it's supposed to be that way." I tell him and smile

"But it doesn't cover anything. I mean how could you even wear a…." His eyes grow wide.

"Don't worry Edward there's extra support in the front so you can go without." I tell him with a coy smile. I'm glad its dark or he would be able to see that my face is bright red. _Where is this coming from? Since when am I this brave?_

"You really are a dangerous creature." He tells me. Leaning down he crushes his lips to mine. I respond more than eagerly. Our tongues tangle together in a fight for dominance. I gladly let him win. Both of his hands go to my back and run along the exposed skin giving me goosebumps. Being in his arms is the best feeling. I fit here, it's where I'm supposed to be. Sensing I need to breath he releases my mouth and moves onto my neck. He kisses and sucks all along my neck, and I'm thanking God that I put my hair up. I know exactly what he's doing. He's marking me and I love it. I'm putty in his hands.

Too soon he pulls away from me and leans his forehead against mine. We're both breathing heavy and I can feel his desire pushing into my belly.

"I've been wanting to do that since I saw you in this sinful dress. We better get inside before I do something we might regret." I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't regret anything he could do to me but I follow him anyway.

Stepping inside the store the smell of books hits me. Breathing in deep my face breaks into a smile. I love bookstores.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into mister. I can look at books for hours." I tell him

"Well we have reservations in an hour so you'll have to speed it up a little." I just pout at him and pull him towards the first case.

They really have amazing stuff here. I have found several early editions of books like _The Scarlet Letter_ and _The Great Gatsby._ Stopping dead in my tracks I see a second edition of _Wuthering Heights_. It is my all time favorite book. Calling Edward over to me I show him the priceless book in front of me.

"Isn't it amazing?" I say with awe in my voice.

"It is love. Do you want it?"

I look at him like he has three heads.

"Are you kidding me? It probably cost more than your car. No I think it's just fine right there on the shelf." I tell him adamantly. There's not a chance that I'm going to let him spend that much money on me.

"Okay if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Okay." He says. "Maybe for Christmas" I hear him mumble and I just stare at him in shock.

"Are you almost ready to go love? We have dinner reservations in about 10 minutes."

"Yeah I'm ready." I tell him.

Walking towards the door, I'm startled when I feel Edward pull on my hand. I look back to find him staring at a case on the wall. It is higher than the rest of the cases which is probably why I didn't look in it before.

"What, Edward?"

"Huh? Oh nothing. I was just looking." He says pointing to a book in the center of the case. "My mom used to read me that every night when I was a kid." I look up to see what book he's talking about, _The Wizard of O_ z. It looks like a first edition.

"You're real mom?" I ask him in shock.

"Yeah. It had just come out a few years earlier and every night we would take turns reading to each other. She loved the fantasy of it and I loved it because she did. I was always drawing make believe worlds and animals. She told me I was very creative and maybe one day I could write a book of my own. She said she would read it over and over, and she would be my biggest fan. That copy looks just like the one we had."

"Wow. I've never heard you talk so much about your parents before."

"Well my memories from that time are foggy. Usually it takes something to jar them back to me so I can remember clearly."

"Do you want to buy that book? I ask him.

"No thats okay" he says shaking his head. "Lets go to dinner."

"Okay if you're sure." I tell him still wary about just leaving it.

"I am. Now let's go I'm starving." I look up at him shocked and he starts laughing loudly. Putting his arm around my shoulders he guides me outside.

For dinner we go to a restaurant called Bella Italia.

"We have a reservation for Cullen" Edward tells the hostess after we walk in.

"Oh of course Mr. Cullen." She tells him a breathy voice that I'm sure is supposed to sound seductive but really she just sounds asthmatic. After batting her eyelashes at him, she looks at the reservation book.

"Yep we have you right here. If you'll just follow me" She bends over right in front of Edward's face to get our menus before walking us to our table. It's a private booth in the back, and I'm glad we're going to be semi-alone during dinner.

"Your server will be right with you, sir." Mrs Too-Much-Makeup tells Edward and then walks away with a little too much sway in her hips.

"Oh my gosh that was so rude. Couldn't she see that you were here with me? Are you kidding me?! I should report her and have her fired. How dare she look at you like that? You're not a piece of meat. That was ridiculous." I'm fuming mad. She has no right to try and take what's mine.

"Bella you have nothing to worry about. You're the only woman in the room to me. I honestly didn't even notice her."

"Good because you're mine." I growl at him, sounding almost like a vampire.

"Yours" he whispers back with dark eyes. The tension and anticipation between us is thick.

Our moment is broken by our waiter.

"Hello my name is Zach and I'll be taking care of you today. What can I get you to drink?"

"Water" I answer without taking my eyes away from Edward's.

"Same" he answers curtly.

"Okay I'll have those for you in a minute, and I'll be back to get your dinner order."

"You should decide what you want, love."

"I'm pretty sure I know what I want" I mumble but I open my menu.

I pick the first thing that looks good on the menu as the waiter comes back with our drinks.

"Are you two ready to order?" he asks

"Go ahead Bella" Edward tells me.

"I'll have the chicken parmigiana." I say and hand Zach my menu.

"And for you sir?" he asks

"Just bring two plates we're going to share it." Edward tells him.

"Alrighty I'll get that right out to you folks."

"Thank you." I murmur as he walks away.

"So what did you do after school today?" I ask him

"I helped Esme with her garden. We have a greenhouse out back where she grows all kinds of fruits and vegetables. She loves gardening and she plants a lot of flowers each year, but she likes to give to the community too. She donates all of the fruits and vegetables that we grow to the food pantry."

"That's awesome." I tell him "She seems like a very nice lady."

"She is. She has helped me a lot. After I woke up…like this. I was very angry and bitter for a long time. I resented Carlisle for doing this to me without my consent. I don't want to be a monster and he made me one without so much as a second thought. Back then Carlisle and I spent our lives very mundanely. We lived in a house with no furniture, no plumbing, and no electricity. Why would we need it? We don't get tired or uncomfortable from sitting or standing in one position. We can see in the dark, and we don't need to shower. But once Esme came along she changed everything. She insisted that we have electricity so that she could listen to music. She wanted plumbing so she could wash clothes and clean the house. She put up curtains and bought furniture. She made our cold dusty houses into homes. She painted and gave to the community. She loved everyone unconditionally including me. She really showed me that there's more to this life. Carlisle is the head of our family but Esme is the heart and soul."

"She's an amazing woman. I'm glad that she got you to see yourself for who you really are instead of a monster."

"I don't know about that, but I do owe her a lot."

"Edward-" my argument is cut off by the waiter bringing me my food.

"Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else." Zach tells us with a smile.

"You should eat love." Edward tells me as he takes a little bit onto his plate, looking at it like its going to bite him.

"Okay but don't think that I've forgotten what we were talking about." I warn him.

"I wouldn't dare." he says cheekily.

The food is amazing, and I'm pretty sure that I don't stop to take a breath until my plate was empty. I'm completely stuffed, but if there was anything else on my plate I think I would have eaten it. It was that good.

I look up to find Edward watching me.

"Don't watch me while I eat." I grumble "It's creepy."

"Im sorry love, I just never knew that watching someone eat could be such an…erotic experience. Those little noises you were making were about to make me need a cold shower." I blush and laugh awkwardly

"Sorry…it was really good." _Nice Bella. You're boyfriend tells you he thinks the noises you make are sexy and thats your reply. Real sexy._

"Come on love we better go so that Charlie doesn't shoot me for bringing you home late." He says and winks at me.

Leaving a hundred dollar bill on the table, Edward grabs my hand and pulls me out of my seat. Putting his arm around my waist possessively, he guides me outside. It's a long walk to the car so he offers to pull the car around for me. Standing outside the restaurant, I wish I would have brought a wrap or a shawl. The night air is a little chilly.

"Hey" a man's voice yells. I look over and see a group of men heading towards me. They are all carrying bottles of some kind and walking like they've had one too many. I look around to see who they are yelling to and there's no one around. They must be yelling for me. _Oh great._ _No I'm not doing this._ I turn to go back inside but one of the men is standing in front of the restaurant door. Turning back around I find that they've formed a close circle around me.

"Look what we have here. You look fine in that dress girly. I bet you'd look even prettier without it." One says to me. I shudder in disgust.

"Yeah I bet you'd like it if I stripped it off of you right now wouldn't you? You want me to see what you've got going on under there right?"

"What do you think man? Shaved, waxed, or bush?" One of the other men says.

"Oh I bet it's smooth. I bet its like silk. Why don't you pull down those panties and let me feel, huh? I promise you'll like it. I bet you like a firm hand in the bedroom huh?"

He's reaching for the bottom of my dress when a car comes barreling down the road towards us. I breath a sigh of relief when I see that its a silver Volvo.

Edward doesn't even come to a complete stop before throwing it in park and jumping out of the driver's side.

"Touch her and you'll lose that hand."

"Oh look a Mr. ToughGuy. You do realize that there is only one of you and there are five of us, right? We could break you like a twig. Just wonder off and go about your business." The leader tells him.

"I'm telling you that I will kill you if you don't leave now." Edward growls. His face has contorted and he looks more terrifying than I've ever seen him. I can see fear coming across the face of the leader.

"Yeah whatever man. No pussy's that good. Lets go boys." They all run off and Edward is immediately in front of me catching me when my shaking legs give out. He picks me up and puts me in the car before getting in himself. He pulls me into his lap and I can feel him shaking.

"Are you okay?" I croak out. He laughs humorlessly.

"I should be asking you that. I could feel how scared you were. I got back to you as fast as I could. I'm so sorry. I should kill those guys for their thoughts. You're mine." He growls out the last word and I shiver.

"You can't kill them Edward. I know you don't want to go back to that place and take human lives. Just let it go. It was a one time thing. I'm fine. They didn't touch me, they just talked to me. That was it. It's okay." I tell him running my fingers through his hair. I know that he is my mate and he can't stand what they did but I also know he won't be able to live with himself later if he kills them out of anger. He thinks he's a monster and I'm doing everything I can to show him he's wrong.

"They should die just because of their thoughts. If they would have touched you, they would already be dead." He tells me, not letting up.

"Please don't kill them. Please. You don't want to be that person anymore. I know you don't. I don't want you to be that person." He sighs as he gives in.

"Okay but only for you." He tells me as he nuzzles my nose with his. "I love you so much Bella. I can't stand the thought of anyone or anything hurting you."

"I love you too. We better go or my dad will hurt you." I joke trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah okay." He grumbles

Moving over to my seat, and pulling my dress back down over my legs, I put my seatbelt on and we had back towards Forks.

It takes us about twenty minutes for us to get to my house and we are five minutes early for my dad's curfew. Of course Edward opens my door for me and walks me to the house.

"I'm sorry our night was ruined Bella. We'll do better next time." He whispers in my ear as he holds me to him.

"The night wasn't ruined Edward, it was just a bump in the road. Everything else was perfect." I tell him sincerely.

Suddenly the porch lights start flicking on and off and I laugh.

"I better go inside before my dad has an aneurysm."

"Okay. I love you." He tells me before kissing me chastely on the lips. Leaning in he whispers in my ear "I'll see you in a few minutes." And with a wink he heads back to his car.

In a daze I walk into the house and see Charlie standing there with a smirk on his face.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah it was perfect."

"Good, I'm glad you had fun. Now we need to have a talk about you two necking on my front porch." He says gruffly.

I burst out laughing.

"Dad we weren't necking. He gave me a hug and a small kiss. That was it."

"I still don't like it." He grumbles.

"Well I'm sorry but I'm allowed to kiss my boyfriend. You'll have to find something else to freak out about cause it's not gonna be that." I tell him and head up stairs.

"Oh I will" he yells after me.

"Goodnight dad I love you" I yell back laughing

"Yeah love you too Bells." He sighs.

Giggling I grab pajamas and go into the bathroom to change. Tonight I chose my light pink silk baby doll nightgown. It is spaghetti strapped and has an elastic band that goes under my breasts to lift them, and in between them is a white silk bow. The hem hits the tops of my thighs and it has matching panties. It's cute and sexy at the same time. I wash the makeup off of my face before brushing my hair and teeth and head off to bed.

When I go into my room Edward is sitting on my bed waiting. His eyes about bug out of his head when he sees me.

"So what do you think: all dolled up with make up and heels or clean and fresh ready for bed?"

"The dress you wore tonight was gorgeous but nothing can compare to the way you look right now. You're simply breathtaking."

"Good to know that you still love me without makeup." I say cheekily

"Yeah now you have about five seconds to get into this bed before I come over and get you myself." He growls, and while I'm kind of intrigued about the idea of him coming to get me, I scamper over and shut the light off before getting in bed.

Sliding under the covers I look up at Edward.

"Better?"

"Almost. I think you're a little far away." He tells me with a fake pout.

"Oh okay." I scoot closer and put my face right in front of his. "How about now?" I whisper brushing my lips against his with each word.

"Hmmm perfect." He says before sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. I moan into his mouth and wrap my arms around his neck.

Kissing Edward's lips is officially my favorite thing to do.

Turning my head to get a better angle, he plunges his tongue into my mouth wrapping it around mine. I feel like I'm burning. A fire has started in my belly and it just burns brighter the more he touches me.

He runs his hands down my neck to my shoulders and down to my waist. This is the farthest we have ever gone and I know I want more. I break away from his mouth and move to his earlobe sucking it into my mouth.

"More" I demand into his ear as I nibble on it.

"Bella" he groans.

His smooth perfect hand runs down my leg until he gets to my knee, grabbing it he hitches it up over his waist. I groan when I feel his manhood against my center.

"You feel so good" I tell him against his lips.

"You have no idea Bella" he tells me as he runs his hand up my thigh and grabs a handful of my butt in his strong hand and I moan into his mouth. I have to touch him. I reach down and pull on the hem of his t-shirt. Knowing what I want he reaches down and whips his shirt off and comes back down next to me. I can't do anything but lay there and stare. He's flawless. Strong muscles, soft skin, and a smattering of chest hair. Running my eyes down his torso, his perfect abs come into view followed by a happy trail leading into his sweat pants. I want to run my tongue along all of the planes of his body.

"You're perfect." I whisper to him.

"Touch me. Please Bella" he groans. _How could I turn that down?_

I start running my hands all over his chest and along his abs. His eyes close and he moans deep in his throat.

"Your hands feel so good on me. Please don't stop." _Why would I ever stop?_

I run my hands down to his happy trail and scrape my fingernails across the skin there. I'm surprised when Edward whimpers in response. He grabs ahold of me and pulls my lips back to his. His lips are heaven, its a shame I have to breathe. Pulling back I start kissing down his neck and to his chest.

"Bella that feels so good. Can I touch you? Please"

"Yes" I moan sucking his nipple into my mouth.

"Oh God" he groans.

He pulls me up away from his body and I whimper. He smiles softly at me when he hears me. Suddenly I'm laying on my back and he is kneeled between my legs giving me a perfect view of his body. His hands are on my waist and they're shaking slightly.

"Edward touch me. Please." I beg. I'm beyond the point of being embarrassed. I want his hands on my body.

Running his palms up my stomach he gently cups my breasts.

"Yes" I moan and arch my back to push myself into his hands.

"So perfect" he whispers to himself and suddenly he's kissing me again while gently kneading my breasts.

Wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, I can't get close enough to him. I feel like I'm going to combust. The fire in my belly is now all over my body and my core is clenching and wet. I don't even realize what I'm doing as I lift my pelvis and rock against his. We both let out moans.

"Oh Bella. I love you" he groans into my mouth and rocks his pelvis against me.

I can feel his hardness rubbing against my clit and it's the best thing I've ever felt.

"I love you too. Please don't stop. I need to come. Please." I beg.

He groans loudly in my mouth and starts kissing along my neck. When his fingers start to concentrate on my nipples, I jump and moan. He looks me in the eye to make sure I'm okay and I smile at him. He rolls my nipples between his fingers and I think I'm going to explode.

"Oh Edward. Yes please."

Suddenly I feel his cold mouth on my nipple on the outside of my nightgown.

"Jesus" I moan out "Please don't stop" he sucks my nipple back into his mouth while rolling the other one between his long fingers. One more thrust against my clit and I shatter. I cry out his name as I come apart in his arms.

"Mmmm Bella." He moans out and I feel wetness seep through his pants before he relaxes on top of me. I love feeling his weight against me so when he tries to roll off I lock my arms and legs around him.

"Please just stay for a minute." I whisper.

"Babe I'm squishing you."

"No you're not. I love feeling your weight on me. Just another minute please."

"Okay" he whispers quietly and buries his face in my neck.

"You're extraordinary Bella. I love you so much."

"I love you too. Thank you for…well" I know I'm blushing and I know he can feel it.

"Anytime sweetheart. You're gorgeous when you come apart. I love that I'm the only one who will ever get to see you like that."

"Mmm" I hum in reply. I'm so tired and I know I'm going to fall asleep any minute. I feel Edward roll off of me. I whimper and reach out for him and he pulls me onto his chest.

"Sleep my Bella." He says and I feel him kiss my forehead before sleep consumes me.


	12. Chapter 11

EPOV

"Sleep my Bella" I tell her as she lays her head against my chest. Not even a minute later her breathing evens out and I know she's asleep.

Suddenly Alice's thoughts are running through my head.

 _Edward I brought you some clothes. I saw that you might need them._

"Thank you Alice. You can just leave them outside by the tree. I'll be down in a minute to get them." I say quietly so I don't disturb Bella who is now snoring lightly in my arms.

Gently kissing her forehead I untangle myself from her arms and jump out the window. It looks like Alice packed me some sleep pants for tonight and an outfit for tomorrow. You gotta love Alice.

After reentering Bella's room and changing out of my sticky sweatpants, not bothering to put my shirt back on, I climb under the covers with Bella once again. As soon as she feels me lay down, her arm is reaching out for me. I love that she wants me even in her sleep. Gently I pull her onto my chest and nuzzle my nose into her hair.

"Mmmm Edward" she mumbles in her sleep and I grin.

The one thing that I miss most about being human is being able to sleep. It's a great way to occupy time, which as a vampire I have a lot of. It also separates day from night. Sometimes it feels like my life is just one really long day that will never end. I wish that I could enter the dream world and be completely worry free for a few hours a day. Humans don't know the luxury they have when it comes to sleep. It doesn't matter what worries or troubles you have, when you're asleep they all float away. As a vampire, when I'm worried about something it sticks in my mind forever. I never have any down time. I would love to just shut my eyes and escape the world for a little while although right now my reality is pretty perfect.

I'm broken out of my thoughts by Bella's mumbling.

"Raccoon…has the headphones"

I try hard to suppress my laughter.

Bella's sleeping face shining in the moonlight is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. She's so perfect, she takes my breath away. As I'm watching her, her lips turn up into a grin she starts mumbling again.

"Edward you're silly" she snorts and rolls over to her other side.

I let her go and then press my front against her back, throwing my arm around her waist and burying my nose in her hair. Closing my eyes and breathing in her scent, I let my body relax. It's almost as if I'm asleep. If only.

Around 5 am I hear Charlie bumping around in the bathroom. He's been working really hard on a case lately and unfortunately for him that means getting up and going to work on a Saturday.

 _I better check on Bella before I go. She's probably out cold._

I have just enough time to hide in the closet before Charlie comes into the room. He pulls Bella's blanket up a little more and tucks it around her shoulders. After brushing a piece of hair off of her face, he kisses her on the forehead and heads downstairs. Slipping out of the closet and back under the covers I can't help but wonder how Charlie will react if Bella chooses to become like me. Well I don't need to worry about that now. She's never even hinted at wanting to.

Charlie writes Bella a note and leaves it on the table for her before he heads off to work. He's going to be working all day so that means Bella and I will get to spend the day together alone. I'm definitely looking forward to that.

It seems like weeks before Bella begins to stir in my arms. She buries her face in my neck and I feel her mouth form a smile against my skin.

"Good morning love" I tell her softly.

"Good morning" she says planting a small kiss on my neck.

"How did you sleep?"

"I slept really well. Did I talk?"

"Oh yeah I got a pretty good show about raccoons and headphones. Oh and apparently you think that I'm silly." I tell her watching her face turn pink.

"Well you would be silly if you were trying to put headphones on a raccoon wouldn't you?"

"Yeah I guess I would" I laugh. "So what do you want to do today? Your father left a couple of hours ago. He had to go into the station today and he probably won't be back until dinner time. The whole day is free."

"Hmmm well we could just stay here." She suggests while kissing my neck.

"That would be wonderful, but I think you'll need to get out of bed at some point. You know to eat and shower, things like that." I tell her and she pouts, but her stomach lets out a loud growl and I laugh.

"Come on love." I tell her kissing her nose "You go shower and I'll see if I can find you something for breakfast."

"Alright" she grumbles and gets out of bed.

She's still wearing that sinful nightgown and I have to readjust myself when she starts walking away from me. Suddenly she turns around catching me ogling her behind. She just smirks and heads into the bathroom.

Changing into my clothes that Alice brought me, I head downstairs to start breakfast.

After looking at the contents of her refrigerator and cupboards, I have concluded that I have no idea how to make her breakfast. The shower shut off about five minutes ago so I start upstairs to ask for her help. Entering her room I almost swallow my tongue.

"Sweet Jesus" I mutter under my breath.

There's my beautiful Bella in just her bra and panties. Her hair is wet and dripping down her back. I hold in a groan. I want to follow one of those droplets with my tongue.

She still hasn't heard me come in and I know I should just turn around instead of ogling her like a pervert but I can't seem to move.

"Edward what kind of clothes do I need to wear today?" She yells out thinking I'm still downstairs.

I'm still in shock but I manage to mumble "Anything you want"

She screams and jumps across the room. Holding her hand to her chest she yells "You scared me half to death!"

I don't know about death, but I can definitely hear that her heart is pounding.

"I'm sorry love. I came up to ask for your help with breakfast. I never imagined I would be walking in on this." I say waving my hand to indicate her half naked, gorgeous body.

She looks down at herself like she doesn't know what I'm talking about; she squeaks and grabs a blanket to cover herself.

"Oh my gosh!" she mumbles "I'm so embarrassed. I was planning to lose a few pounds before you saw me like this."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about love. Your body is gorgeous. Please don't lose any weight. I love you the way you are." I tell her completely sincere.

"I don't know. My hips are kind of out of proportion with the rest of my body; so are my thighs and breasts. Nothing a strict diet can't fix."

In two strides I'm standing in front of her with my hands on her still-blanket-covered hips.

"Your body is perfect. Please don't go on a diet. You're so mouthwatering that it's taking everything in me right now to stop from stripping this blanket off of you. Your body is gorgeous, please don't change it. It would be a sin."

"Okay" she says letting the blanket drop a little lower giving me a tantalizing view of her cleavage.

"I think we'll go out for breakfast" I squeak out. "Just dress comfortably." And with that I run down the stairs and desperately try to calm myself.

After breakfast, I tell Bella that we are going to be hiking a little bit today. I want to show her my meadow. I know she's going to love it. Plus it will give me an opportunity to show her what I look like in the sun.

Parking the car at the pull off, I get out and open Bella's door.

"Um Edward I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not really the hiking type."

"Hmm well I can run with you if you'd like. Give you a piggyback ride."

"You mean run at vampire speed? Like the last time when I almost threw up?" She almost threw up last time? I didn't know that.

"Don't worry love just close your eyes this time and we'll be there before you know it."

"Ooookay" she says wearily. Bending over I instruct her to get on my back and the moment she's secure with her arms around my neck and one of mine around her leg and the other on her backside, I take off. I stop just a few feet from the meadow to let Bella down.

"Are you ready?" I ask, slightly nervous.

"Yep. Lead the way." She says grabbing my hand.

Leading her into the meadow I stop just a few steps in and she wanders into the middle. Spinning with her face up towards the sun and her arms out grazing the top of the wild flowers, she is the most glorious thing I've ever seen.

"Hey aren't you coming out here with me?" She asks breaking me out of my admiring.

Taking a deep breath I head out toward her and into the sunshine. I hear her gasp when she catches sight of me.

"How..How is that possible?" She asks running her hand up and down my sparkling arm.

"Carlisle believes it is because when we are changed, our skin becomes hard like diamonds or granite. It is the hardest substance in the world and therefore, like those stones similar to it, we refract the sunlight. In other words, we sparkle."

"It's beautiful. You look like an angel." She says with awe in her voice.

"Believe me, I'm no angel, but I'm glad you're not scared." I tell her breathing a sigh of relief.

"Edward I could never be scared of you. You're my mate. Our souls are connected. Don't ever be afraid to tell me something. I love you. That's never going to change."

"Good" I say and plant a soft kiss on her lips.

"This place is amazing" she says after a few minutes of walking through the meadow.

"I know. This is my favorite place in Forks. Every time we move to a new city, I like to go exploring to find a place that is all mine that I can go to to get away. Having voices constantly running through my head can get tiring after awhile, so I like to come out here and clear my head. You're the only person that I've ever brought here or that even knows about it. I'm sure Alice knows somewhat but she would never invade my privacy by coming here without me inviting her."

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Edward. It really means a lot to me." She says placing her warm hand on my cheek. I take a second just to enjoy the warmth before turning my head and kissing her palm.

"Now do you want to go exploring a bit or just sit down and relax?" I ask her. I can see the mischief in her eyes and immediately know what she's going to pick.

"Lets go exploring." She says and I laugh. Taking her hand I let her lead me where she wants to go. I've pretty much been all over this land, but I tend to see everything differently when Bella is with me.

Walking through the brush together she tells me about her many fishing trips with Charlie and even one hunting trip.

"We were up in a tree. We'd been there all day and hadn't seen a deer yet. I didn't really mind. I like spending time with my dad and it wasn't too cold out. Anyway its almost time to go home when a deer walks by. It was so cute. I looked through my binoculars at it and saw its cute little twitching nose and immediately yelled 'NO BAMBI RUN!'. My dad fired off a shot and missed as the deer ran away. He never let me come hunting with him again."

By the time her story is over I'm laughing hysterically. No wonder Charlie never takes her hunting anymore.

We've been walking for about twenty minutes when we come up on a stream. It's September so it's too cold to swim in but still pretty.

"I just love the sound of the flowing water. Don't you?" Bella asks. I nod in reply as I watch her take off her shoes and roll her jeans up.

"Bella you probably shouldn't do that. You could catch a cold or slip and fall." I tell her worried. There are a million different ways she could hurt herself.

"Oh come on Edward live a little." She says stepping into the creek and wading in the water. "Are you going to join me or are you just going to stand there and watch?" she yells out. Well there's no contest there. I let out a sigh and start taking my shoes off. I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm over a hundred years old and this woman makes me feel like I'm seventeen again. I would never have done this before I met her. It just isn't proper.

Stepping into the water I can tell that's it cold, but it doesn't bother me. I quickly make my way over to Bella and pull her into me.

"You're a little troublemaker, love." I tell her and she just smirks at me.

"I know"

She steps her little feet onto mine which gives her the height she needs to kiss me. I want to drown myself in her kisses but right now I can't. After a minute or so I have to pull away.

"Come on love. You really should get out of the cold water. I don't want you to get sick. Please" I add on with a pout.

"Okay fine." She says and we wade our way out of the water.

Once we get to the bank we sit in the grass to let our feet dry before we put our shoes back on. I'm surprised when Bella lays down with the back of her head in my lap so she can look at the sky. She lays there watching clouds while I watch her. I memorize every freckle on her face and every expression that she makes. She's so perfect.

"Edward can I ask you a question?" She asks after a little while

"You can ask me anything love."

"Um last night. When I um you know." She says with a blush.

"When you had an orgasm?" I ask smiling

"Ugh do we have to use that term? Its so clinical." She groans

"Okay fine love. How about 'you found your release'?" she just wrinkles her nose

"Alright I guess that will do. Anyway when I came I noticed that you did too or it seemed like you did. I was just wondering. It didn't seem like you were close before so I was just curious." She's so cute when she's flustered and nervous.

"Just another part of being mates love. Of course we can feel each others emotions so last night we were feeding off of each other's intense desire. Another aspect of that is when one mate…finds their release the other one will too at the same time. It is after all the most intense feeling that the body has, so when one mate is experiencing it they both will. And I just want to tell you that that wasn't the only reason that I did. I was just as…excited as you were."

"Okay so how far does that reach? I've been wondering that about the emotions thing too. If I'm in Florida and you're here would you still feel my emotions? What about Seattle?"

"It does have a range. If I was at my house and you were at yours, we wouldn't be able to feel it. It's like my mind reading or Jaspers gift, it can only reach a couple miles at best."

"That's good to know." She says

"Are you planning on doing something that you wouldn't want me to know about? I would never invade your privacy Bella. I promise you that." I tell her sincerely.

"No um.. I was just wondering if I was to…satisfy myself if you would know about it." She says blushing.

 _Oh my gosh! Little Edward is now wide awake._

"Um" I clear my throat "If I wasn't close than no I wouldn't know about it and it wouldn't affect me."

"Okay" she says softly as I try to think of anything to make my arousal go away.

 _Mountain lions…deer….Emmett in a dress…._

Phew, okay.

"Bella it's getting pretty late. I think we should head back."

"Okay. It's my night to make dinner anyway." She says as she starts to put her shoes back on.

"Edward can we come back here sometime?" She asks as she climbs on my back.

"Anytime you want, Bella" I kiss her hand and off we go back down the mountain.

It doesn't take long for us to reach the car. After making sure Bella gets in okay, I get in and head to her house.

Charlie isn't home when we get there so we have time to make dinner. Bella decides on baked chicken breasts and starts making some kind of seasoning rub to go on them. I'm pretty useless in the kitchen so I just stand back and watch her. Believe me, it's a pretty good show.

Once the chicken's seasoned, it's ready to go in the oven.

"Bella please let me do that. I don't want you to get hurt."

"It's fine Edward I can do it. I've been cooking all of my life." She says grabbing the pan and putting it in the oven. As she pulls her hand out it hits against the side of the oven and she cries out.

"Bella!" I'm over to her in a flash and have her hand pressed against my ice cold skin. "We need to go to the hospital." I tell her and start pulling her to the door.

"Edward its just a small burn. It probably will be healed a few days. Just let me run it under some cold water and put some ointment on it. It's fine." She tells me. Looking at her hand I can see that she's right. Okay, I may have overreacted a little bit.

"Okay you go put it under cold water and I'll get the medicine." I say heading upstairs to the bathroom.

I'm back to her with the burn medicine in less than a minute. Taking her hand out of the cold water I pat it dry and very gently rub the ointment onto her red skin. She was right it is just a small spot.

"You're all done." I say putting the cap back on the tube.

"Thank you." She says smiling up at me.

She goes to the refrigerator and pulls out a bowl that has salad in it and some dressing. After putting it on the table she goes and gets plates and silverware.

"Here let me help you. I don't want you cutting yourself with that knife."

She mumbles something like "silly overprotective vampire" but hands me the silverware.

Once the table's set I hear Charlie's cruiser coming down the road. He knows me now so I think it will be okay if he finds me here. It's not like we're doing anything other than cooking. _We save that for nighttime._ But he doesn't need to know that.

"Hey Bells. Smells good." He yells as he comes in the door. When he sees me he stops in his tracks. "Hello Edward. I thought that was your car out front. Have you been here long?" he asks raising his eyebrow.

"No sir just long enough to help Bella with dinner." I tell him and he just grunts.

The timer goes off to the oven and Bella reaches over to grab an oven mitt.

"I don't think so." I tell her. "I'll get it. I don't want you getting burnt again."

"You burnt yourself B?" Charlie asks worried.

"It's just a little spot. I accidentally brushed up against the oven when I put the chicken in. It's fine."

"Are you sure? We can go to the hospital if you think it needs to be looked at." Charlie says and I smirk. Great minds think alike.

"I'm sure dad. It's fine. It will probably be gone by tomorrow." She says huffing.

Setting the chicken on the stove and taking off my oven mitts I say "Well dinner's ready so I think I'll head out and let you guys get to it."

"Edward you should stay. You helped Bells make it, its the least we could do to have you stay." Charlie says politely.

"Yeah Edward stay and eat with us." Bella says with a smirk.

"Okay thank you for the invitation." I head over to the cabinet to get myself a plate and silverware.

"So Edward how are your parents?" Charlie asks as we all sit down and Bella starts dishing out the chicken. She makes sure to give me a small piece, which I am grateful for.

"They're doing well. Dad enjoys working at the hospital and mom is working on redecorating our house. She is an architect but she decided to be a stay at home mom since my dad works so much, so every now and then she lets her creativity explode on our house." I tell him while alternating between putting bites of chicken in my mouth and some in my napkin.

"Huh I didn't know that about Esme." Charlie says while shoveling more chicken into his mouth. "This is really great Bells. You and Edward did a good job."

"Thanks dad." She says

"Believe me, sir, it was all Bella. I'm pretty useless in the kitchen." I tell Charlie. Well that's one thing that I can be 100% truthful on.

"Edward you can just call me Charlie, and I'll bet Bella will have you cooking like a pro in no time. She taught me and now I know how to make a lot of different things." He says proudly.

"Well, we'll just have to have some cooking lessons then" I say smiling at Bella

"Sure" she replies.

After dinner I help Bella and Charlie clean up and then say goodbye.

"Thank you for staying tonight Edward. I think it means a lot to Charlie to get to know you." Bella tells me as she walks me to the door. Charlie is long gone to some sports show on television.

"No problem Bella. I want him to be comfortable around me. He means a lot to you so his acceptance means a lot to me." I tell her honestly.

"Well I think you're well on your way to being accepted."

"Good" I say leaning down and kissing her lightly.

"I'll be back as soon as I take my car home." I tell her

"Okay, I'll be waiting." She says smiling up at me with love in her eyes.

Well if that's not incentive for me to get back quickly, I don't know what is.


	13. Chapter 12

BPOV

"Okay everyone remember that our exam over the Constitution is tomorrow. It will be half multiple choice and half essay. I hope you haven't waited until tonight to study." Mrs. Jones lectures while staring us down. _Doesn't she know that no high school senior studies ahead of time for their exams? We cram it in the night before._

I'm sitting in government class, my last class of the day, and the clock can't move fast enough. It's Thursday and I just want to be done with school so that I can spend some time with Edward. We are going to his house after school all afternoon until my curfew, which is 10:00 on school nights. Not that that will stop Edward from coming in my bedroom window, but my dad doesn't know that. Tomorrow morning Edward is going hunting with his family and he will be gone all weekend. He is really excited because Rosalie and Emmett will be meeting up with them in Canada to hunt and then they will all be coming home together. This is his first hunting trip since we met and I'm already feeling antsy. Lately he has been hunting fast and close to Forks so that he can do it while I'm sleeping and be back before I wake in the morning. Well he can't do that forever, so they are doing a big family trip this weekend. Carlisle and Esme hunted earlier in the week because Carlisle is on call for the hospital this weekend and Esme doesn't want to go on the hunting trip without Carlisle. I don't blame her. I'm not exactly happy about being away from my mate for so long either. Although I'm a little suspicious that Edward convinced them to stay home and babysit me. Silly overprotective man.

We are doing everything we can to lessen the discomfort when we are apart so that this weekend won't be unbearable for us. Alice has packed a bag for each of us with clothes in it smelling like the other. Hopefully being surrounded by our mate's scent will help. Also we are going to talk on the phone each night. I've been told that the Cullens' usually don't take their cell phones with them when they go hunting because it's too easy for them to be broken in a fight with a rogue bear or mountain lion, but Edward has promised to have his phone in a backpack not far from where they're hunting so he can be in contact with me if I need him. Hopefully everything will be fine and I won't have to call him more than once a day. If something happens, I'm not sure I'll ever convince him to go hunting again.

The bell rings breaking me out of my musings. I quickly gather all of my books and race out the door. Edward is in the hallway waiting for me so I launch myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. It feels similar to hugging the statue of David until Edward's arms go around my waist and he chuckles in my ear. Goosebumps cover my body the minute he puts his hands on me. I'm pretty sure the statue of David can't make me feel like this.

"Well hello love. Did you miss me?" he asks playfully.

"Of course. I can't believe you're going to be gone for a whole weekend. What am I going to do?" I say into his neck. My warm breath on his neck causes him to shiver.

"I don't know love. You know I don't have to go. I could just catch a few deer around here and be back in a few hours."

"No you need to hunt. It's not fair to keep you locked up with me all of the time." I tell him.

"You know Bella there's nowhere I'd rather be than locked up with you." He tells me in a low voice.

"Good because that's how you're going to be spending the next few hours. Get used to it." I reply

"Mmm I sure will." He says in my ear. His cool breath makes me shiver but I love it.

"Alright lets go" I say, reluctantly letting go of him. He takes my backpack off of my shoulder and puts his arm around my waist guiding me to the car where Alice and Jasper are already waiting.

We are going to spend the whole afternoon in his room alone. I have permission from Charlie to stay out for dinner and I plan to not see anyone else until I have to go home. Although Edward is going to insist that I eat dinner. Maybe I can order pizza. Hmmm I wonder if Esme will let me get away with that. Probably not.

"Yeah I don't think that's going to happen Bella" Alice says from the backseat. "You're more likely to get pizza if you just ask Esme to make it for you."

"Dang it. I don't want her to go to any trouble." I tell her.

"Don't worry, love." Edward says, of course having seen my plans in Alice's thoughts. "She loves to cook for you. She's cooked since she changed because she didn't want to lose the skill. She usually donates the food to a homeless shelter. Now that she has a human daughter, she couldn't be more excited to finally have someone in the house to cook for. Trust me." He throws in that last part tapping his temple and smirking at me.

"Alright, but maybe I will just ask for something simpler like a grilled cheese. She doesn't need to make a whole pizza just for me." I tell him as we pull into the garage.

"Too late" Edward laughs "She heard you the moment we pulled up and she's already looking up recipes. There's no stopping her now."

I'm going to have to think of something nice to do for her. What do you get a vampire? Maybe we could take a cooking class together. I think she would really like that, and it would give me some new recipes to use for Charlie.

"That's a great idea!" Alice squeals.

"That's very thoughtful. She will love that." Edward tells as he opens the car door for me. When did he get out of the car? Stinking fast vampire.

Alice and Jasper have already run off. Something about getting an early start on their hunting trip. I wonder why they want to go alone and then it hits me. It must be hard to get any privacy in a house full of super-hearing vampires, including one that reads minds. I blush lightly.

"I would love to know what you're thinking love. What makes you blush so beautifully?" Edward asks.

"I was just thinking of why Alice and Jasper would want to go off alone before you meet up with them in Canada with Rosalie and Emmett."

"Yeah, trust me you don't want to know. They tried to guard their thoughts, but they didn't do a very good job." He shudders. I guess that would be awkward to hear about your siblings.

Walking into the Cullen house, Edward takes my jacket just like the last time I was here.

"Where are Carlisle and Esme?" I ask Edward.

"They are in Carlisle's office, it's on the second floor. Esme is on the computer looking up pizza recipes and Carlisle is reading. We can stop and say hi before we go up to my room." He tells me as we head up the stairs. I love how close his parents are. They are always together. I hope Edward and I are still like that in a hundred years.

As Edward raises his hand to knock on what I assume is Carlisle's office door, I grab his wrist and stop him.

"I don't want to disturb them, Edward." I tell him softly.

"We're not love, it's okay."

"Are you sure?" I'm not so sure. The door is shut and they are obviously spending time together.

"Yes I'm sure, don't worry about it."

"Okay well if we do disturb them you better tell them that I wanted to leave them be." I hiss at him.

"That won't be a problem, love." He whispers to me.

"Why?"

He leans in right next to my ear.

"Because they can hear everything we're saying right now." He breathes in my ear and I yelp quietly.

"Can I knock now love?" He asks chuckling.

"Yeah sure." I grumble.

He knocks once on the door before it is opened by Esme.

"Hi kids." Esme tells me, pulling me into a hug. I look over at Carlisle who smiles warmly at me over the top of the book in his hands. He's sitting on a very plush overstuffed chair with one foot propped on the other knee. He's dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. It's weird to see him dressed so casually. I'm used to seeing him when he's at work.

"Hi Esme. How are you?" I ask her. _Really Bella? Asking a perfect vampire how she is? As if she could get sick or hurt. Nice._

"I'm fine dear thank you for asking." She replies warmly "Come look at these recipes I've found. What would you like on your pizza? I'm going to send Carli to the store for me to get toppings. Anything you want, name it." She tells me as she grabs my hand and gently tugs to over to the computer. It's covered in papers and it looks like she's printed every pizza recipe on the internet.

"I don't want you to go to all this trouble, Esme. A frozen pizza would be fine."

"Oh no dear!" She tells me, her eyes going wide and her hand going to her heart, "I could never serve you a pre-made _frozen_ pizza. Do you know what kind of chemicals are in those?" she spits the word frozen like it's a curse word.

"Okay if you insist. I usually get my pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and olives, but if you don't have any of those that's okay. I'll just take what you have."

She just tsks at me.

"Carli has to go to the store anyway to get the ingredients for the crust. I'll make him a list." She says and before I can protest, she's gone.

"Trust me Bella sometimes it's best to just let her do her thing and say thank you afterwards." Carlisle tells me without looking up from his book. I guess he knows his wife best.

"Well we're going up to my room to spend some time together." Edward says "Mom can just bring the pizza up when it's done." He tell Carlisle and I'm assuming Esme heard him from wherever she is in the house. I want to protest that I can go and get my own food, she doesn't need to serve me, but I remember Carlisle's words and decide not to.

"Okay" Carlisle says putting his bookmark in his book and coming over to us "Well it was good to see you again Bella. Don't be a stranger this weekend. If you need anything don't hesitate to call Esme or myself. I'm sure Edward has already put our phone numbers in your cell phone for you." He tells me and I can see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Thank you Carlisle."

"No problem sweetheart. Now I'm going to go find my wife and see if she has my list ready. Is there anything else you need from the store? The cabinets and refrigerator are fairly stocked for you so there should be drinks and things in there."

"No I think I'm fine. Thank you." I tell him and he walks out the door.

"Ez where are you?" I hear him say in a normal voice in the hallway. I'm assuming she responded because less than a second later he's gone.

"Come on love" Edward says grabbing my hand and pulling me to the stairs. He lets me walk up the stairs on my own this time, thank God.

The first thing I do when we finally get to his room is go over and put some music on. I love classical as much as the next guy, but sometimes a girl needs a break. Finding the cd I want, I pop it in to the stereo and adjust the volume so it's not too loud.

"John Mayer love?" He asks chuckling "Are you that tired of classical?"

"Not tired of it really just would like a change."

"Mmhmm" he hums in reply.

"I need a few human minutes if that's okay." I tell him and head into his in-suite.

Edward's bathroom is ridiculously extravagant for a vampire who only bathes every now and then. It has a glass shower with two shower heads and a complicated looking control panel on the wall. Next to it is a Jacuzzi tub that looks like it could hold forty. Man I would love to spend an evening soaking in that tub. There are two sinks with lighted mirrors hanging above each and a separate room to the side with the toilet in it. Everything is done in dark blue and cream including the tile. Opening a closet next to the shower, I find it full of towels in various sizes; all thick and plush, of course. Only the best for the non-bathing vampire. Under the sink I find all kinds of bath soaps, shampoos, conditioners, bath salts, and bubble bath in many different scents. I doubt these are all for Edward, so I assume Alice stocked his bathroom with items for me. My suspicions are confirmed when I find pads and tampons in the next cabinet. I guess Alice doesn't know that I don't have a period because of the accident. After I'm done snooping—yes I admit I was snooping—I do my business quickly and head back into the bedroom. Edward is sitting on the bed reading and looking way too yummy.

"Did you find anything interesting, love?" He asks me smirking. He probably heard me snooping.

"No not really. Though I do think the bathroom is a little overboard considering you hardly ever use it."

"Well I suppose it was, but now I have a gorgeous human who is going to be spending time here. Luckily, I have the best to present her with."

Rolling my eyes, I just huff at him.

"What are you reading?" I ask purposely changing the subject.

" _Wuthering Heights_. I bought a copy the other day. I know you said it was your favorite book and I thought I should read it again."

"But can't you remember it perfectly from the last time you read it?"

"Yes I can, but now I have a whole different perspective. I'm reading it as a man in love, you see, it's completely different now."

"Alright smooth talker." I say playfully and go to the stereo to change the song.

"Guilty as charged, love. Come here." He says patting the bed next to him.

"Oh I see, you're saying sweet things cause you're hoping to get me into bed. Well I'll have you know that I'm not that kind of girl." I tell him sternly, but I can't keep myself from moving towards him.

"Oh believe me I want to get you into bed, but only to hold you _for right now._ " I blush when he says 'for right now'

"Okay but I'm keeping my eye on you" I tell him climbing up onto the massive bed.

"Good because I can't take my eyes off of you." He says gathering me into his arms.

"You're so cheesy sometimes." I whisper.

"Yeah but I mean every word."

About an hour or two later there's a knock on the door. Edward quietly invites them in. They aren't interrupting anything, we've just been laying together and talking. I read Edward some of my favorite passages from _Wuthering Heights_ , and he read me some of his favorite passages from other books. Of course he didn't actually have to go get the book because of his perfect memory.

I look at the door to see Esme coming in carrying a tray.

"I brought you your dinner Bella. I hope it's okay. I couldn't get my crust to rise like it was supposed to." She scowls before setting the tray in my lap. There's a few pieces of steaming pizza, some breadsticks, and a giant salad.

"Thank you so much Esme. It looks so delicious. I didn't even realize how hungry I was until now." I tell her honestly.

"It's no problem sweetie. Now I didn't bring you a drink because I didn't know what you would prefer. We have sodas, bottled water, lemonade, and a few different kinds of juice."

"I'll take a sprite if you have it."

"Coming right up" she says before she disappears. Am I ever going to get used to vampire speed?

Taking a bite of my pizza, I moan embarrassingly loud. Oh my gosh this is the best thing I've ever tasted. I have to get her recipe.

Just as I'm about to take a second bite Esme comes in with a cold bottle of sprite for me and a few napkins.

"I thought you could use these" she tells me winking and putting the napkins on my lap.

"Thank you. Esme seriously this is the best thing I've ever eaten. You have to teach me to make it."

"I would love that Bella! And I'll be sure to save the rest for you to take home tonight." She tells me as she turns to leave.

"Hey Esme" I call out and she faces me again. "I was thinking of taking a cooking class in Port Angeles. Would you like to come with me? We could do it together."

"That would be amazing Bella. Thank you for thinking of me. I've been dying to get some new recipes, and I would love to spend more time with you." She comes over to kiss me on the cheek and run her hand over my hair before disappearing again.

Wasting no time I dive back into my pizza. I know I'll never be able to eat all of this, but dang it I'm going to try.

Once I'm done, Edward takes the tray and puts it on the nightstand. Pulling me back into his arms he says, "I swear watching you eat is one of the most erotic things I've ever seen."

I just blush and bury my face in his neck.

We spend the next couple hours watching a movie and cuddling. Edward let me choose the movie so of course it was a chick flick, but he didn't complain at all; of course, who would complain about watching _P.S. I Love You_? It's a great movie. While watching it I realize how happy I am that I'm never going to lose Edward. We are going to be together forever. I'm unbelievably thankful for that. I couldn't survive losing him and I know he couldn't survive losing me either. That's just the way it is with vampire mates.

When it's finally time for me to go home I reluctantly tell Carlisle and Esme goodbye and climb into the Volvo. Edward is carrying the bag of his clothes that Alice packed for me and he puts it in the back seat before getting in himself and driving to my house. The drive is quiet, and I know neither one of us is looking forward to saying goodbye.

When we get to my house, Edward walks me to the door like always. Kissing me softly on the lips he promises to be back in my room in just a few minutes.

All of the lights are off when I walk in the door but I can see that the TV is on so Charlie is awake.

"Hey dad" I tell him, taking off my shoes and going to sit next to him.

"Hey B. How was your evening?" he asks while picking up the remote to mute the TV.

"It was good. Edward is going to be gone all weekend on a camping trip with his family so it was a little sad saying goodbye."

He puts his arm around me and I lay my head on his chest. This is how we always sat when I was little and now whenever I'm upset we tend to end up like this.

"It's only a few days, B. He'll be back before you know it." He tells me and kisses my forehead.

"I know." I say sadly.

I spend some time just sitting with my dad and watching tv. We didn't have dinner together so I haven't seen him all day. Plus I know Edward had to go home and return his car before coming back here.

Dozing softly on Charlie's chest, he shakes me awake.

"You better go on up to bed, baby. Goodnight."

"Goodnight daddy." I tell him and drag myself up to bed.

Edward isn't there when I get to my room and I'm too tired to do anything but take off my jeans and bra before climbing into bed. I set my alarm and turn my bedside lamp off. When I feel a cold breeze, I know Edward is here and I smile a little.

"Sorry I'm late, love" he says climbing into bed with me. "Carlisle had a few more questions about our mating connection."

"It's okay" I tell him putting my head on his chest. I throw my arm over his stomach and tangle my feet with his.

"I love you Edward. Wake me before you leave okay?" I ask with my eyes shut.

"Of course love. Sleep now." He says softly, running his fingers through my hair.

It feels like merely minutes before I'm being awakened by cold kisses all over my face and cold fingers on my back under my shirt.

"Wake up Bella. I have to leave. I'm supposed to meet the others in Canada in just a few hours."

Looking at the clock I see that its 3 am. Barely opening my eyes, I kiss him softly on his perfect lips.

"I love you. Hurry back to me" I tell him. Hopefully he can understand my sleepy grumbles.

"I will. Be safe. I love you." He says and with one last kiss to my forehead, he's gone.


	14. Chapter 13

BPOV

Waking up to the sound of my alarm instead of Edward's cool touches is the start of my day. I have absolute no motivation to move.

"Wake up Bellsy!" My dad yells as he comes barreling through my door. _Ugh what is he doing home and why does he have to be so happy in the mornings?_

"What are you doing here, dad? Why aren't you at work?" I grumble into the pillow I'm holding over my face.

"I have the day off. I had some time built up because of the big case I was working on. Now come on grumpy. I made breakfast." He tells and then heads downstairs.

Ugh I wonder if I could get away with patricide. Probably not.

Rolling out of bed, I go to the bag that Edward left of his clothes and pull out one of his t shirts. It has some band on the front. I don't recognize them, but Edward must like them. I pull it on with a pair of jeans and my chucks. In the bathroom, I brush my teeth and pull my hair up into a messy bun. Not bothering with makeup, I put on my locket and head downstairs.

My dad makes the best breakfasts ever. Seriously, he is a master at them. I pile my plate full of eggs, bacon, and hash browns, grabbing another plate to fill with French toast. Seriously my dad's French toast is God's gift to mankind. It's amazing.

"So what do you want to do this weekend Bellsy?" dad asks me while we eat.

"Well tomorrow I really need to work around the house. My room is a disaster area and so is yours by the way."

"Hey, my room is fine." He tells me frowning. Behold a grown man turned into a preteen.

"Whatever dad. Anyways, then I need to go to Port Angeles to sign up for a cooking class. Esme and I are going to take one together. I don't really have plans for Sunday."

"I'm glad you are spending time with Edward's parents." He tells me "They seem like really nice people. And since you have no plans Sunday, do you want to go out fishing with me? The weather's supposed to be really nice."

"Sure dad, as long as I don't have to wake up too early."

"Come on Bells. All of the best fish are caught early in the morning! Is five too early?"

"Yes! Are you crazy?!"

"Okay fine. How about six?"

"How about six-thirty and you have coffee made before I wake up?" I counter.

"Deal" he says with a smile shoveling more food into his mouth.

I know I need to go to school, but my stomach is so full that dad might have to roll me to my truck. Walking to the door slowly, I grab my book bag and head out to my truck.

"Bye Dad. See you tonight." I yell before shutting the door and heading off to school.

School today has been horrible. Wearing Edward's scent is helping my mating pains, so I'm more uncomfortable and antsy than I am in pain. I guess Alice's idea worked.

All day I've been avoiding men. I know in my head that if I touch them, something bad will happen but it seems like my body knows too. It's like when you put two magnets together wrong and they repel each other. Whenever a man came near in the hallway, I would automatically veer away from them.

At lunch I sat with Angela and Jessica. Angela and I are friends still and we talk all of the time. Jessica and I have never been close friends, but we still chat occasionally. Of course their whole group sat with us including Mike. I made sure to keep my distance from him. I know he would never hurt me intentionally but something about him just gives me a bad feeling.

By the time my government test came around I was almost too antsy to sit in my seat. Luckily I spent all of study hall studying for the exam. I'm pretty sure that I aced it.

When I get home I find a note from Charlie on the kitchen table.

 _B-_

 _I went over to visit with Billy. I will be back for dinner._

 _It's your turn to cook, so you better get crackin (:_

 _I'll see you when I get home. Be good._

 _Love,_

 _Dad_

Since I can barely stand still because I'm so antsy, I guess I can make Charlie his favorite dinner. My grandma Swan's beef stroganoff is amazing but it takes forever to make. I have a couple hours so I can get started.

Changing into shorts and a tank top and throwing my hair into a bun, I put on some music and start cooking.

I'm dancing all over the kitchen when the food is finally done. Pulling dishes out of the cupboard, I'm setting the table when I look up and see my dad there with a big grin on his face.

"Nice moves there Bellsy." He says laughing

"Thanks dad. You know the roger rabbit was popular when you were younger so I don't want to hear any teasing."

"Oh I'm not teasing I'm just saying it looks like you got your moves from your old man. Poor thing."

"Yeah yeah" I grumble, "Are you ready to eat? Cause the food is ready."

"Yep I sure am. It smells great B. Stroganoff?"

"Uh huh. Grandma Swan's recipe."

"Wow. And what are you bribing me for?" he asks shoveling some food on his plate and not even bothering to let it cool before digging in.

"Nothing. I just had some extra time this afternoon. I had a bunch of exams today so no homework."

"Mmm" he hums in reply with his mouth full. After swallowing he says "Have you heard from Edward today?"

"No but he's supposed to call me after dinner so we can talk before I go to sleep."

"Mmhmm well you make sure and tell him that curfew counts for your phone too. I want you off the phone by midnight."

"Sure dad," I tell him, inwardly rolling my eyes. _If only he knew._

The rest of dinner is pretty quiet except for my dad eating. It's like watching a lion on a gazelle.

"Phew that was good Bells. Sometimes I think you make it even better than your grandma did." He tells me once his third plateful is gone.

"Thanks dad. I'm sure grandma is rolling over in her grave right now because you said that."

"Probably" he laughs.

"Come on let's get these dishes done. I don't want you ditching me when Romeo calls you."

I just smile and help him clear the table.

With him washing and me drying, we get the dishes clean and put away in no time. I made sure to make extra so he would have leftovers for a few days, and put those in the fridge also.

"I'm going to shower before bed, dad." I tell him as he heads into the living room to watch TV.

"Okay Bella, make sure you come down and say goodnight. And tell Edward I say hi."

"I will."

Since I have the extra time, I decide to indulge myself in a bubble bath. I rarely get them because dad and I share a bathroom, and because I usually don't want to waste the time when Edward is here.

I pour some of my favorite bubble bath in and start the water. Once it's ready I strip and sink down into the bubbles making sure to leave my phone where I can reach it in case Edward calls.

I swear nothing can do magic like a good, hot bubble bath, well except for maybe a good, hot bubble bath with Edward.

I've only been in the tub for a few minutes when I hear my phone ringing. Wiping off my hand carefully so I don't get my phone wet, I answer it.

"Hello"

 _Hi sweetheart_

Just his voice makes me sigh and smile.

"Hi, I miss you."

 _I miss you too love. How was your day? Are you in pain?_

"My day was okay. I haven't been in any pain really just some discomfort. Wearing your clothes seems to help. I'll definitely be doing that the rest of your trip. How are you?"

 _I'm pretty much the same as you. Feeling kind of antsy but having your scarf in my pocket, or your t-shirt on makes me feel better. Although I'm not sure how you don't drown in this shirt since it fits me well._

"It's a shirt that I sleep in, so I bought it extra big." I tell him laughing. "I could have sent a dress or some short shorts if you would prefer those next time."

 _No I'm fine with what I have. Thank you._

I just laugh at him.

 _It's good to hear your laugh. I miss it._

"I miss you too. What are you doing?"

 _Nothing really just talking to you on the phone, and thinking about punching Emmett in the face if he doesn't stop making kissy faces at me as I talk to you._

 _Yeah bring it bro_ , a deep voice says.

"Don't hurt your brother, he's bigger than you and I don't want you coming home broken."

 _You wouldn't have to worry about that, love, I assure you I would win._

"Well I still don't want you to risk it. Let's talk about something else."

 _Okay love whatever you want. What are you doing? Things sound quiet there._

"I'm in the tub taking a bath. Charlie is watching some sports thing so I took the bathroom for myself."

I hear the wind blowing on his end of the phone and then suddenly it stops. Maybe he was running?

 _You're in the bathtub right now?_

His voice sounds more husky than normal.

"Yeah, why?"

 _Umm, uh aren't you worried about dropping the phone in the water?_

"No I dried my hand off and everything before answering it. It will be okay."

 _So you're uh in the tub? So you're naked?_

"Yes. That is the way one usually bathes."

 _Oh uh yeah I guess. I just didn't know that you would answer the phone while you were naked and uh wet in the tub. Do you want me to call back later?_

He's so cute when he's flustered.

"No it's fine I can talk. Did you get any hunting done today?"

 _Some. I met up with the others in Canada and we ran for awhile. I found a nice bear, but I'm hoping for a mountain lion before the weekend is over._

"Yummy" I'm sure he can hear the sarcasm in my voice.

 _Yeah something like that…._

"Edward, are you okay? You're pretty quiet."

 _Yeah I'm fine I just um I'm not sure I can talk to you when you're like you are. It's distracting._

"But you can't even see me. How is it distracting?

He groans quietly into the phone.

 _Please don't talk about me being able to see you right now because if you do I'm gonna have a situation that will be embarrassing when I run back to my family._

I just giggle at him.

"Well I'm sorry about that. For what its worth I miss you and I wish you were here."

 _Believe me I wish I were there too._

"Well why don't you tell me what you would do if you were here?

Again with the word vomit. Did I really just ask him that? Oh my gosh he's going to think I'm some pervert.

He sucks in a breath.

 _Do you really want to know?_

"Yeah I think I do."

 _Well first I would sit and just look at you. Are you completely covered by the bubbles?_

"Mostly I'm covered. My shoulders are sticking out along with parts of my breasts and my knees."

He groans quietly into the phone.

 _I would memorize the way you look right now. The way your face is flushed and your whole body is pink from the hot water. The teasing glimpses of your beautiful breasts would do me in and I would have to touch you. I would take off my clothes and climb in behind you so that my whole body would be wrapped around yours. The water would warm my skin, and I wouldn't be able to stop myself from touching your whole body. Running my hands all over your soft, warm, wet skin._

"Then what?" I ask breathless

 _Then I would take your soap and squeeze it into my hands before washing your entire body. Watching the bubbles slide down your perfect skin. Once you were rinsed, I would let you lay back against me again and I would cup your breasts in my hands. They're so soft and full. Putting a little pressure on your nipples, I would tease you until you were begging me to touch you._

I moan out loud. My hand is now on my breasts doing exactly what he's describing to me.

 _Are you touching yourself Bella?_

"Yes" I breathe

 _Good. Pretend it's my hands on you. Next I would slide one hand down your belly leaving the other one rolling and playing with your perfect nipples. I would move my hand lower until I was cupping your hot sex in my hand. Listening to your moans push me further and I slide my fingers through your silk folds. Oh my god you feel so good. Rubbing my fingers up and down your sex I can feel how wet you are for me. I love how you respond to me. Sliding my fingers back up I find your hard little clit and gently press on it with my finger and you moan out loud._

I moan loudly into the phone. I've never really touched myself before, but now with Edward guiding me it feels better than I ever imagined.

"Keep going Edward please." I beg and he groans. I wonder if he's touching himself to the sounds I'm making.

 _I would keep my thumb playing with your clit and slide my middle finger down to your wet core. When I put one finger inside you, you moan. You're so tight and hot around my finger, I can barely contain myself. Slowly I slide my finger in and out of you while playing with your clit. Are you doing it Bella?_

"Yes I'm doing it. I'm so close."

 _Than come for me love. I'm close too._

Oh god he's touching himself with me.

"Oh that feels so good I moan."

 _Pinch your clit love. Make yourself come so I can hear it. Let me know I'm the only one who can give you the pleasure you need._

"Oh god!" I yell out coming hard on my hand. I hear Edward curse and moan my name as he comes with me.

"Mmmm Edward." I moan coming down from my high

 _You sound so good, love. I wish I could have been there to see it._

"Soon." I tell him breathless

 _Definitely._

"Edward?" I ask after a minute of silence.

 _Yes love?_

"The water's cold."

He chuckles at me

 _Get out of the tub, sweetheart. Get warm. I will talk to you tomorrow._

"Okay Edward. I love you."

 _I love you too, Bella. Will you sleep in my clothes?_

"Of course!" I tell him.

 _Good. That will give me a nice mental image for the night._

I just laugh.

"I need to go now Edward so I can dry off. I'm standing here all wet and soapy."

He groans loudly.

 _You definitely are a dangerous creature love. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodbye_

"Bye" I whisper and hang up.

After I dry off, I get dressed in one of Edward's hoodies and panties before I yell goodnight to Charlie and head to bed. Covered in Edward's scent, it's almost like he's here. Almost.


	15. Chapter 14

BPOV

The first thing I notice when I wake up is the sun streaming in my window. I love the rare days when I get to sleep in. My dad didn't even wake me up, which is unusual. I guess he knew that I would threaten bodily harm if he bothered me before 10 AM. I am waking up early with him tomorrow so this is my only free morning.

Pulling Edward's sweatshirt that I'm wearing to my face, I breathe in his scent. I'm a little uncomfortable without him, but it isn't too bad.

My face turns bright red when I think about what happened last night. I can't believe that Edward and I had phone sex! I went from being some shy teenager to practically a sex kitten! I love that Edward knows how to make me feel good, I hope I do the same for him.

I wish I could call him right now, but I don't want to bother him when he's out with his family. He's supposed to be letting loose and having fun. I will talk to him tonight.

Rolling out of bed, I head downstairs to find my dad, but instead I find a note on the table.

 _B-_

 _Hey honey I didn't want to bother you when you were sleeping._

 _Actually that's not true, I was afraid for my life if I woke you up._

 _I'm going back over to Billy's again today. We're working on repairing his deck._

 _I will be back in time to make dinner so I'll see you then._

 _Be careful if you go to Port Angeles today._

 _I love you._

 _-Dad_

Well that means I have the whole house to myself to clean. It's really for the best. My dad just gets in the way when I'm trying to clean. Plus he likes to make a mess in a room that I've just cleaned. I do this kind of cleaning once or twice a month so dad pretty much knows the deal by now.

Heading upstairs I decide to start in the bathroom and then move onto the kitchen and the bedrooms.

The best part of cleaning my room is finding cool stuff that I forgot about. While digging in my closet I found a box full of things that I saved from my childhood. Some of my favorite toys, my stuffed animal best friend, and my favorite books. My mom used to read to me every night when I was a kid, and it was always my favorite part of the day.

I've finished cleaning the house including stripping mine and my dad's beds. I even opened the windows to let some fresh air in. Dad's room can get really stuffy, and it smells like man in there; it definitely needs aired out.

Looking back at the book in my hands, I remember all of the special times I had with my mom. All of this reminds me of Edward and his mom reading to him. I love that he has that memory of her. It's been so long since she was alive, but I'm sure it doesn't get any easier; especially when he can't remember things about her and memories with her clearly because he's a vampire now.

I wonder how much that book was? I have some savings and some money built up from my mom's life insurance. I would love to buy that book for Edward to constantly remind him of some good memories with his mom. Maybe I'll stop by the book store after I sign up for the cooking class.

My room is pretty much clean so I grab the dirty sheets off the floor and take them downstairs to the washing machine. After I start the laundry I put my shoes on and head out to my truck.

The drive to Port Angeles won't be as fast as when I rode with Edward since my rusty old truck can't go above 55 mph so I turn the radio on and get comfortable.

"Excuse me sir" I wave down the salesmen in the bookstore. "Can you tell me how much this book is please?"

"The Wizard of Oz?" he asks and I nod "It's $6,000 and we are having a 25% sale for the whole store so it would really be $4,500. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes please."

Carefully he takes it down off of the display and hands it to me. There is a plastic cover over the entire book. I'm assuming it's because the oils on our skin would damage it. There's a card on the front that reads:

 _Chicago and New York: Geo. M. Hill Co, 1900. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good Condition. Denslow, W. W.. 8vo. First edition, Second (corrected) State, Binding C. Collated and complete including all 24 colored plates. Expertly reset in its original binding with light wear and some minor soiling. Clean pages; gift inscription and minor soiling at front free endpaper._

This was published in the same city that Edward lived in when he was human! I bet this is exactly like the copy that he had as a boy. I can't pass this up especially when it's on sale.

"I'll take it." I tell the salesmen.

His eyes grow wide and he stutters out "Are you sure young lady?"

"Yes I'm sure. Do you take Visa?"

I quickly hand over my credit card. I don't want him thinking that I can't afford it. I know most people my age couldn't, but I have a pretty good nest egg from my inheritance.

"Yes we do miss. I'll get this taken care of and wrapped up for you." He tells me, taking the book and scurrying off.

"I'll need to see your ID young lady." He tells me while wrapping the book up for me.

Handing him my license he looks at it closely before running my card through and handing me the slip to sign. I quickly sign the slip and hand it back. Slowly he hands me my package with the book in it.

"Thank you" I tell him happily grabbing my purchase and hightailing it out of the store. I button up my coat on the front steps. It's gotten dark out and chilly.

As I step out onto the sidewalk I hear someone say

"Well look what we have here"

Turning around I come face to face with my worst nightmare.

These are the same men who came after me on my first date with Edward. This time he's not here to save me. What am I gonna do? My dad always makes me carry pepper spray in my purse, I just need to distract them so I can reach it. It's my only option.

"Look boys. It looks like Miss Princess came back only this time she's all alone." The other men in the group just laugh and leer at me. I try to scream but my voice is caught in my throat.

"Yeah your freak boyfriend isn't here to protect you now, is he?" another man says grabbing the package out of my hand and reading the front of it.

"What asshole buys rare books? Ridiculous." He says throwing it at me. The book bounces off of my ribs jarring me backwards. Trying to regain my balance, I take a step back and trip over the curb landing flat on my butt. Searing pain radiates from the bottom of my spine throughout my legs and torso.

"Mmmm that's a pretty picture, you on your back in front of me. Why don't you spread those pretty legs so I can have a better view?"

Ignoring his question I hurry and stand up. There's no way I'm going to be vulnerable on my back like that. I'm going to fight. My back and ribs are throbbing. While getting up I manage to reach into my purse, pull out the pepper spray, and slip it up my sleeve. Once I'm standing, they surround me.

"Hey sexy. Why don't you just admit that you want to come with us? I promise we'll make it good for you. I bet you like it rough don't you? You want someone to be your daddy? I think you need a good punishment for running from us for so long." One guys says.

"Hey man you can't have her all to yourself, I want a piece of her too. I bet that pussy is so tight. Mmmm I can't wait to get in there." Another one replies

I'm doing my best to not gag from their words. I have to think. What am I gonna do? How am I going to get out of this? My best shot will be to pepper spray the one blocking my way to the store. If I can just get inside where other people are, they probably wouldn't follow me inside. Lifting my hand I spray him in the face and go to run. Another man grabs my arm before I can move and backhands me across the face making me land in the gutter.

"You little bitch!" the man holding his eyes yells.

Pain is exploding all over my face. I can feel myself shutting down, but I can't be sure if it's because a man touched me or if it's from the pain.

Suddenly I hear someone yelling, "Hey what are you doing out here? What did you do to her?" I hear shoes running across the sidewalk. Opening my eyes a little, I see the old man from the bookstore kneeling in front of me. He reaches out to touch my forehead where I assume I'm bleeding from falling.

"Please don't touch me" I yell out. His eyes fill with sadness.

"Okay sweetheart, I won't touch you. Can you move at all? I called the police they will be here any-" I don't hear the rest because the blackness I've been fighting completely takes over my body.


	16. Chapter 15

EPOV

Turning my head to the north, I hear the change in his direction and shift my body accordingly. This is the first mountain lion I've smelled in months and I'm not going to let it get away. Quietly and quickly, I move from tree to tree until I'm right above it. Staying downwind, I let myself drop silently from the tree. Only a few feet away, I can almost taste him already. I'm ready to pounce on him, crouched down and teeth bared when I'm pulled into Alice's vision.

 _Bella is lying in a hospital bed as doctors scurry around her. It looks like she's in the ER of a hospital. Her eyes flicker open and I can see the panic in them._

" _Please my phone. I need my phone." She calls out_

" _Lay down miss, we need to assess your injuries" a doctor responds._

" _Please my father in law is a doctor. I need you to call him. Please. Carlisle Cullen."_

" _Okay just calm down. Doctor Cullen does frequent visits here for special cases. We will call him. I need you to stay calm and take deep breaths for me."_

 _The doctor puts the oxygen mask on her face, and when she tries to breathe I see her wince in pain._

" _I'm going to give you something for the pain and it might make you sleepy. It's okay to fall asleep. Your body needs to heal." He tells her as he puts a needle into her arm. She winces when he touches her and then again when he inserts the needle. As her eyes fall closed the vision fades away._

I don't even think before I'm running in the direction of home. I'm about two hours away even running as fast as I can. All I can think about is my Bella. What happened? I will kill whoever did this to her.

After about an hour of running, my phone starts to ring. My stomach drops when I see that it's Carlisle calling.

"Hello" I answer not bothering to stop or even slow down.

 _Son I need you to come to the hospital in Port Angeles. Alice called me so I know you're on your way home. I'm here with Bella. She was attacked._

The air completely leaves my lungs.

"How bad is it, dad?"

He breathes out a sigh before answering.

 _Just get here, Edward. How far away are you?_

"I'm about an hour from Forks and about thirty minutes from the Port Angeles Hospital."

 _Okay I will talk to you when you get here._

"Dad just…can you tell me…is she going to be okay?"

 _Yes, son she will be fine. She has some injuries and she'll have to talk to the police, but she will recover._

"Okay thank you. I will see you in a few minutes." I tell him before I hang up.

I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life. I barely register that I need to slow down when I make it to the hospital parking lot. I don't care about keeping up appearances or the Volturi, I just need to get to my mate.

"Carlisle" I say in a normal voice as I walk in the ER entrance of the hospital. I don't know where he is, but I know he'll hear me.

"Stay there Edward. I'll be there in a minute." I hear him think to me.

I can't sit down, so I just pace in the waiting room until he comes around the corner. He pulls me into a hug that I gratefully let myself fall into.

"Dad" I whimper.

"It's okay Edward. She's okay. Come on." He says putting an arm around my shoulders and leading me into a private meeting room.

"Okay tell me everything." I say once the door's shut.

"From what I can gather from the police and the doctors, it seems she was outside of a rare bookstore in Port Angeles when she was attacked by a group of men. The store owner called the police and scared them away. The police are searching for the men now. She has a laceration on her forehead that had five stitches, a concussion, bruised ribs, a fractured cheekbone, a broken tail bone, and lots of other bruises." He cuts off when I start growling. "Do you want to hear the rest of this or do you need a minute?" he asks me in his professional doctor voice.

"Go ahead" I say through my teeth.

"Okay. I got a call from a Dr. Fox here at the hospital. I know him from a few trips I've made here to help with some special cases. He said that my daughter in law had just been brought into the ER and she begged him to call me. I assumed he was talking about Bella because Alice and Rosalie would have no reason to be in the hospital. She was smart to tell him that I was related because now I can have access to her medical information and information about the police's case. She was given pain medication in the ER which seems to have knocked her out. She has been admitted and is in a private room on the second floor. I called Charlie and he is with her now. She should wake up anytime."

"Can I see her?" I ask immediately. I don't need all of the details right now. Now that I know she's okay and in this hospital somewhere, I have to see her. I'm in pain being away from her.

"Yes she's on the second floor, room 202. I can show-"

I don't wait for him to finish before I'm out the door. Concentrating, I find her scent and follow it. Once I get to the second floor, I try to find Charlie's thoughts. It's very hard to concentrate because there are so many people in the hospital and some of them are in such grief that their thoughts are screaming at me.

 _I should call John at the station. I want him to light a fire under the boys in Port Angeles. I want them down here getting a statement from Bells as soon as she wakes up, and I want a portrait artist to sketch these men. I will catch those bastards if it's the last thing I do._

There he is, and it seems like his thoughts are right in line with mine, although I plan to catch and kill these men myself. No jail time for them.

Finally I'm standing in front of room 202. The door is slightly ajar so I knock softly before letting myself in. Charlie is sitting by Bella's bed holding her hand and staring at the floor. His eyes snap up to mine when he hears me knock and I can see the anguish there. I nod at him before turning my gaze to my love. All of the air leaves me when I see her. Her perfect alabaster skin is completely black and blue. Her face is swollen and contorted because of her broken cheekbone. I can smell the antiseptic they must have used on her stitches, and the blood their transfusing into her. Walking slowly over to her, I want to touch her but I'm struggling to find a place that isn't bruised. Finally, I run my finger down her uninjured cheek.

"How is she?" I ask Charlie. My voice sounds gravelly to my ears.

"Same. Nothing's changed since I got here. Did you talk to your father?"

"Yes, she's going to be fine and he said she should wake soon."

"Good." He croaks. "She's my world. I couldn't survive if something happened to her."

Charlie Swan is not a man who talks about his emotions or even shows them, so I'm shocked at the tears running down his face. His hands are shaking as he holds one of hers between them.

"She'll be okay Charlie. She has to be." I whisper.

"Yeah" he says softly.

"Do you mind if I wait with you?" I ask him.

"Sure." He says and gestures towards the chair on the other side of her bed.

"Thank you" I whisper.

Pulling the chair up to the edge of her bed, I take her other hand in mine. Watching her face for any sign of awareness, I sit here waiting for the center of my universe to come back to me.


	17. Chapter 16

BPOV

Ugh my head hurts.

What is that beeping sound?

Edward's here. I can feel him. Why is he so worried and angry? It's pouring off of him or maybe I'm the only one who can feel it.

Laying with my eyes closed, I take inventory of my body. I have a massive headache, but the actual skin on my head feels tingly and numb. My face feels odd like it's proportioned wrong or swollen, but it's also numb and tingly. My neck and chest feel fine, as well as my arms but my ribs are killing me. I can't take a deep breath because of them. It feels like my lower body is laying on something very soft and padded. My backside is hurting some, but it's nothing compared to the rest of my pain.

Cracking my eyes open, I'm grateful that someone thought to turn the lights down.

White ceiling, white walls, and some kind of skinny pole next to my bed. That looks like an IV. Oh god. I groan quietly.

"Bella?" I hear my angel's voice say, "Can you hear me?" My eyes snap to my left and see him. I don't think that vampires can get wrinkles but if he keeps frowning like that, it's gonna happen.

"Hi" I smile. _He's back._

"Are you okay? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay right now just stiff and sore. What happened? Did I fall down the stairs? Oh my gosh, did I slip in the tub? Please don't tell me that the paramedics found me naked on the bathroom floor."

"You don't remember?"

My memories feel fuzzy, like I'm looking through frosted glass. I remember signing up for a cooking class in Port Angeles. Then I went to the bookstore to get the book from Edward's childhood. The sales man was almost reluctant to sell it to me at first. Walking outside it was dark and I was headed to my truck. The next part is fuzzy. I think there was someone there. A man.

"Oh my gosh!" I gasp. "Those men from our first date were there. I couldn't get away. They were all grabbing at me and talking about what they wanted to do to me-" Edward's growl cuts me off and I lay my hand on his cheek. He nuzzles into it and closes his eyes.

"How bad is the damage?" I whisper.

"You have a broken tailbone, and cheekbone, bruised ribs, a concussion, and five stitches on your head."

"Wow" I say quietly, "And the men?"

A loud growl rips through Edward's teeth as his eyes turn black as night.

"I will catch them, Bella. I promise you. They will pay for what they've done."

"Okay" I whisper. I know there's no talking him out of it. I was able to when all they did was talk to me, but now that they've hurt me, there's no hope of stopping him. Although I'm not sure that I would want to stop him. I don't want to stand in the way of his urges as my mate.

"I love you." I tell him and his face drops. He leans in and buries his face in my neck.

"I thought I lost you, Bella. I thought you were gone. I can't…I don't…God I love you." He tells me sobbing into my neck. Wrapping my arms around him, I pull him into bed with me.

"No Bella I don't want to hurt you." He protests half heartedly.

"Edward, you're the only thing I need right now. Please." He gives in and crawls into bed with me and lays his head on my chest. I enjoy this quiet time running my fingers through Edward's hair as he holds me to him.

"Where's my dad?" I ask after a few minutes.

"He's been here all night, he just stepped out to get a cup of coffee. He should be back—" he says as dad walks through the door "soon." He finishes on a whisper.

"Son I know you love my daughter but I think you need to find your chair." Dad says half-heartedly. Edward smiles a little and climbs down to sit in his chair so he can grab my hand again.

"Hi daddy" I whisper to him.

"Bellsy" he says rushing over to me and kissing me on the forehead. I feel his tears hit my cheeks.

"I love you daddy." I tell him and hear his breath hitch, "I'm okay."

"I was so scared, Bella, so scared. I love you so much kiddo. Don't ever scare me like that again." He tells me sitting on my other side. "I may never let you out of the house again. Ever."

"Okay dad" I tell him with a smile. I've never seen my dad this emotional.

"I think I'll give you two a minute alone." Edward says, standing up. My eyes go wide and fear shoots through me at the thought of him leaving. He leans down to kiss my cheek and whispers "I'll be right outside. I love you."

I watch him until the door shuts behind him.

"I think that kid really loves you." My dad says.

"Yeah he does. I love him too." I tell him honestly. There's no point in hiding it. Anyone with eyes can see it.

"So you guys are pretty serious huh?"

"Yes we are."

"Well as long as I don't find him in bed with you again any time soon, I think I might like him."

"Good" I say with a smile. We'll just have to make sure he doesn't see it when Edward's in my bed.

After a few minutes there's a knock on the door and Edward comes in followed by a few police officers.

"The police would like to take your statement, Bella. Are you okay with that?" Edward says.

"Yeah sure. Let's get this over with."

"Hello Miss Swan I'm Officer Hamilton and this is Officer Smith. We just want to ask you a few questions and once you get released from the hospital we would like for you to come down to the station and give us a physical description of each man so that our forensic artist can give us a visual of them."

"Can't you bring the artist to the hospital today so that we can start looking for these creeps." My dad asks.

"I'm sorry Chief Swan but our artist is working on another case right now. We only have one at our station, and it is a Sunday after all." Dad just lets out a grunt. He's not happy at all about this.

"It's fine dad. We can wait until I get released." I tell him. As soon Edward has a chance he's going to find the men and kill them. I'm not even sure I will have to meet with their forensic artist.

"Okay Miss Swan, we were able to get some details from the store owner, Mr. Rivers, but we would like your account." Opening his pad of paper and a pen he starts. "At what time did you arrive at the bookstore?"

"Around 6 PM, I knew exactly what I wanted to purchase so I was only in the building for about a half hour."

"Okay, and when you exited the building what happened? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"I saw that it had gotten darker while I was inside. It wasn't until I was heading to my truck that I saw the men. They called out to me. I recognized them from when they harassed me about a week ago."

"So you had seen these men before?"

"Yes when Edward and I were on our first date, I stood outside the restaurant while Edward went to get the car and they approached me. They harassed me but didn't touch me. It was only a few minutes before Edward drove up and scared them away."

"Dammit Bells! Why didn't you tell me?!" My dad yells getting to his feet and pacing.

"I didn't think it was a big deal, dad. It was over in a few minutes and they ran off. I never thought I would see them again." I tell him.

"Okay Miss Swan lets get back to the questions." Officer Hamilton says. "So they approached you, and started talking to you?"

"Yes they recognized me and said that I was all alone this time. They took my package from the bookstore and threw it at me and I stumbled back and landed on the cement. When I got up I had managed to get my pepper spray out of my purse. My dad gave it to me a long time ago in case I ever needed it. I knew I needed to get to a place where there were people so I sprayed the one who was blocking my way to the store. But before I could even run another man grabbed me and backhanded me across the face. That's when I fell and cut my head. Everything gets fuzzy after that. I remember the store owner coming out and scaring them away, and then it all goes black."

"Okay your story matches up perfectly with Mr. Rivers's story. That is all we need from you. Chief Swan we will keep you updated on our case, and be sure to bring Isabella in for a physical description as soon as possible."

"Thank you Officer Hamilton." My dad says as he shakes the officers' hands.

"We'll be in touch" Officer Smith says as they leave.

Once they're gone my dad turns to me. I can tell he's angry because I didn't tell him about what happened on the date.

"Bella," oh lord he's going to lecture me "….good job using the pepper spray." He says before heading outside muttering about going to restroom.

I giggle once he's outside.

"Hey come here" I tell Edward and pull him onto the bed with me. This time he pulls my head onto his chest and I curl around his body. His cool skin feels wonderful against my head.

"How are you love?" he asks me.

"I'm pretty good right now." I tell him and sigh in contentment.

"Are you in pain?"

"Yeah, but it's bearable."

"Okay if you're sure. Please tell me if it gets any worse. I can't stand the thought of you in pain."

"Mmmhmm" I hum in reply.

"How was your trip?" I ask him, "Did you catch any mountain lions?"

"No. I was tracking one when Alice had a vision of you in the hospital, and I immediately started running back."

"I'm sorry."

"Bella of all of the silly things to apologize for. It's fine. I would rather be here with you."

"Well I'm sorry you had to cut your trip with your family short."

"That's okay. I missed you so I probably would have come back sooner anyway. The others are coming back too, but that probably won't visit until tomorrow since visiting hours are over soon."

"Okay. It will be nice to meet Emmett and Rosalie officially. I used to see them around school but I never met them because they were a year older than me…well I guess they are quite a few years older than me."

Edward barks out a laugh.

"Yeah I'd say so, love."

Our moment is broken by a knock at the door. A woman in a red and white outfit and an apron comes in carrying a tray.

"Here's your dinner, honey. It looks like your'e on a liquid diet. Make sure you eat so you can build up your strength." She tells me.

"Thank you" I tell her and she leaves.

Edward helps me sit my bed up so I can eat. When he tries to move off of the bed I stop him.

"Please don't. I need you close. Please."

"Okay love but you need to eat."

I agree and lift the lid. It looks like chicken broth and jello with pudding for dessert. It smells okay. Taking my first bite hesitantly, I find that it's not too bad.

"How is it?" Edward asks me.

"It's okay. I could cook it better myself, though."

"Well I'm glad you like it. It smells like dirt."

"Thanks babe." I tell him letting out a loud laugh. I wince as I laugh. _Oof thats not good on the ribs._

"Are you okay?" Edward asks alarmed.

"Yeah I just have to be careful how I breathe because of my ribs. I'm fine."

"Okay good. I'll try not to make you laugh anymore. Eat your dinner, sweetheart. I think it's almost time for some more pain medication."

I just nod as I finish my dinner. After I'm done, Edward rings for the nurse.

"Yes?" a voice asks from the intercom on the wall.

"I think it's time for more pain medication in here." Edward says smoothly.

"I'll be right there." She says before the intercom crackles.

I just lean back and close my eyes. My head is really pounding and my cheek feels like it's ten times its normal size. I can actually feel my heartbeat in my face.

"Are you hurting?" Edward asks softly running his fingers down my uninjured cheek.

"Yeah" I whisper

"I'm sorry, love. I would take it all away if I could."

"I know."

The nurse comes in the door wearing scrubs with little cats all over them. She's an older lady with bright red hair and a nice smile.

"Hello dear. I hear that you're in some pain." She says coming over to check my vitals and my IV. Edward gets up so that she has room to check me over and I frown at him.

"Yes." I tell her.

"Okay well I'll put some medicine in your IV and that should help. It will probably make you feel tired and that's okay. Your body needs to rest in order for it to heal." She tells me as she injects the medicine into my IV.

"Thank you." I tell her.

"You're welcome, hun. Just ring me if you need anything else." She says and then leaves, taking my dinner tray with her.

Almost immediately I can feel the drugs starting to work. My pain is lessening and my whole body relaxes.

"Is that better?" Edward asks climbing back into bed with me.

"Yeah" I whisper closing my eyes.

"Good. Go to sleep love. You need to rest." He says.

"I love you" I manage to mumble before falling asleep.


	18. Chapter 17

BPOV

A knock on my door wakes me up Monday morning. I think that is the worst night's sleep I've ever gotten. This bed is like sleeping on a rock except under my butt, which feels like a marshmallow. Plus, the nurses come in every few hours to check on me and take my vitals. If they weren't supplying me with pain medicine, I might threaten their lives for waking me up. I can't wait until I can go home. Edward isn't here. He must have ran out to get something or to keep up his human act.

"Come in" my dad says from beside me. He has deep, dark circles under his eyes and looks like he hasn't slept in weeks. I wish he would go home and get some rest.

"Hello" I hear as Mr. Rivers, the bookstore owner, sticks his head in the door. "I'm sorry to wake you. I can come back later."

"No its fine." I croak out. Reaching forward, I grab my water from the table to take a drink. These meds make my throat so dry.

"Come in." I tell him with a smile.

When he comes into my room I can see that he has a package in his hand.

"I thought you might want this." He tells me, handing it over to me, "I found it on the ground after the ambulance took you away."

"Is this…?" I ask stunned.

"Yes it's the book you purchased. I just thought that I would bring it to you. After what you went through, you deserve it. I checked it out and it wasn't damaged much during the…altercation. I repaired a little rip and rewrapped it for you."

"Thank you so much." I tell him with tears in my eyes. "I can't tell you what this means to me. It's a gift for someone very special to me. "

"It's a treasure and I'm glad that it's ending up with someone who knows what it's worth, not just in dollars and cents but in sentiment and history."

"I do, thank you." I tell him, then hesitantly add "And thank you for what you did for me that night. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened."

"It was no problem. I was very worried when I looked out of the window and saw what was happening, then when you passed out on me I was terrified. I'm just glad you're alright. I gave my statement to the police, and I hope they catch those men soon."

"Hello, I'm Charles Swan, chief of police in Forks. Thank you for saving my daughter. I can never repay you for what you did. If you ever need anything just give me a call."

"Thank you chief, that means a lot to me. Now I've got to be going. I had to close the store for an hour so I could come visit you. I'm glad you're doing better."

"Me too. Thank you for everything."

"No problem. If you ever want any more books come and see me." He tells me opening the door.

"I will. Bye."

Looking down at the package in my hands, I'm in awe. I thought that I would never see it again.

"What is that, Bells?" my dad asks me.

"It's a book that I bought for Edward. That's why I was in the bookstore in Port Angeles. We saw it on our first date and he loved it but he didn't buy it." I didn't add the personal aspects of the story behind the book, or the fact that I can't forget the look in Edward's eyes when he saw it.

"Oh well that's nice of you, I guess." He says and then mutters something about risking my life for a silly book. I just roll my eyes at him.

"Dad where is Edward? Did he go to the bathroom or the cafeteria or something? He hasn't been here since I woke up." I tell him.

"It's Monday Bella. I sent him to school. He put up a heck of a fight about it, but I finally convinced him. I didn't want to have to arrest him for truancy, and I would've if he had stayed." He says

I feel a stab of pain in my heart when I realize Edward isn't here. I understand why he isn't, but it doesn't help the pain of being apart.

"Did he leave anything for me?" I ask him

"No but he did forget his jacket on the chair." He tells me handing me the jacket.

I just hold it to my face and smile. He knew that it would be hard for me to be without him so he left it for me.

"Knock, knock" a man says coming in my room.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Stevenson. We haven't met, but the on-call doctor from last night has filled me in on your condition and I've looked over your charts. I need to see how the bones are setting in your cheek and have a look at a few other things." He says coming over.

"Okay." I say quietly and hold onto Edwards jacket for dear life.

First he gently prods my face with his fingers.

"They set the bones in your cheek last night when you came in, I just have to make sure they are sitting correctly or they won't heal right." He says. "They feel fine."

Taking out a pen light he uses it to look in my eyes, before gently prodding all over my head with his fingers.

"Your stitches look fine and it looks like you're healing well. We have to be extra cautious when a patient has a concussion, but you're healing fine. Can you lay down please so I can look at your ribs?"

Pushing the button for the bed to lay down some, I lay on my back and pull up my nightgown to just under my breasts. The skin on my abdomen is black and blue. He pushes and feels all along my ribs, before pulling my nightgown down for me and helping me sit back up.

"Everything feels fine there too. I think we will get an X-ray of your cheek to be on the safe side and make sure the bones are still aligned correctly; if they are we can discharge you sometime this evening."

I breath a sigh of relief.

"That would be great, thank you." I tell him.

"Not a problem. Because your responses are normal, there seems to be no lasting damage from your concussion. As long as your cheek bone is set correctly, there is nothing we can do for it now except give it time to heal. The same goes for your ribs and coccyx. You just need a lot of rest. I see no need for you to do that in a hospital bed."

"Thank you doctor."

"You're welcome. I'll get that scan scheduled and someone will be down shortly to take you down to X-ray. Once we get those results, I will be back to discuss the next step." He says before leaving.

"That's great, Bells" dad says

"I know! I can't wait to go home!" I tell him, smiling widely…well wide on one side.

"Can you hand me my phone dad?"

"Sure Bells, as long as you aren't going to text Edward while he's in school." He tells me raising one eyebrow.

"Of course dad. Would I do that?"

"Uh huh" he grunts at me and hands me my phone before sitting down with the TV remote.

 _Edward I get to go home today!_ I text him.

I get a reply a few minutes later.

 _You saw the doctor? He said you could go home? Are you sure you're ready to go home? I think you should stay at the hospital for a little while longer, love. What if something happens?_

 _Yes the doctor was just here. He said it's fine for me to go home as long as my X-ray comes out okay. They are going to take me to get the scan in a little bit._

 _Maybe I should come and talk to the doctor. I hope he's sure about sending you home. I'll send a text to Carlisle to check on your scans. I can't believe that I'm stuck in this torture chamber instead of there talking to your doctor._

 _It's okay Edward. I'll see you after school. And please don't bother Carlisle with my case._

 _Too late, love. I have to go, Mr. Banner is getting suspicious. I will see you the minute I can get there after school. I love you._

 _Okay Edward. I love you too._

Putting my phone away, I grab the remote off of the nightstand to change the channel.

"Hey I was watching that." Dad protests.

"Too bad. My room, my remote." I tell him.

"Yeah sure, Bells. I'll just watch what I want when you're gone." He grumbles.

I just smile in triumph.

We've been watching _Gilmore Girls_ for about an hour when a woman in scrubs walks in with a wheelchair.

"Isabella?" I just nod at her in response, "I'm Cassie. I'm here to transport you to radiology."

"Okay. Dad can you help me up?"

"Yep" he says.

With Cassie on one side of me and my dad on the other, they help me into the wheelchair after putting an extra cushion on the seat. There's nothing wrong with my legs, I just get a little dizzy. Plus it's a little uncomfortable to walk because of my tailbone.

"Alright Isabella, here we go. We'll be back in about an hour Mr. Swan." She tells him before pushing me down the hallway.

On the way back to my room from radiology, I can feel that Edward is here. He's anxious. I don't know if it's because I'm not back to my room yet or if its because he thinks I'm being discharged too soon.

When Cassie pushes me into my room, Edward is there pacing. He looks up the moment we cross the doorway and rushes to me.

After giving me a sweet kiss he says "Hi love. Do you need help getting into bed?"

"Yes please."

As soon as the words are out of my mouth he scoops me up with one arm under my knees and the other behind me back. I bury my face into his neck and sigh. This is a whole lot better than Charlie or a nurse helping me.

Edward gently places me in bed like I'm made of glass before pulling the blankets over me. I'm exhausted, which I guess is normal after the trauma I've been through, but I can't bring myself to sleep when Edward just got here.

With a wave Cassie takes the wheelchair and leaves my room, the door shutting behind her. As soon as she's gone Edward crawls into bed with me, gathering me in his arms. When he buries his nose in my hair and breaths a sigh, I can feel his entire body relax.

"How was your day?" I ask him.

"Horrible. I forgot how boring high school is without you."

"Well I missed you too." I tell him and lean up to give him a small kiss but end up yawning into his mouth.

"Am I boring you sweetheart?" he asks me with a laugh.

"No I'm just a little tired." I tell him.

"Then sleep Bella. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

"Okay, I love you." I tell him before leaning my head on his chest and going to sleep.

I'm woken by cool fingers on my face.

"Bella, wake up. The doctor's here to talk to you."

Looking up I find Edward sitting on one side of my bed, my dad on the other, and Dr. Stevenson standing at the foot.

"Hello, Isabella. I'm sorry to wake you, but I have your X-ray." Dr. Stevenson says "All of your bones are set correctly and it looks like they are going to heal nicely. You haven't been having any nausea and have held food down, so I think we will be able to control your pain with oral medications meaning you can go home. With help you should be able to use the bathroom and bathe at home. Now there are some guidelines for you at home. We are going to give you a special cushion that you must sit on at all times. You don't want to put undo stress onto that tailbone. Also be careful with how you sit and lay, you want to try to not put weight directly on it. As far as your facial injuries go, there are quite a few rules you'll have to follow. You need to put an ice pack on the injured cheek for about 15-20 minutes every hour. Be sure to not put any pressure on that side including sleeping with your head turned that way. You want to keep your head elevated comfortably to help decrease the swelling and pain. You'll need to be careful when you sneeze to not put pressure on your cheekbones. To do that you can keep your mouth open when you sneeze. It might feel and look funny, but it will help. You'll have to be careful with how you brush your teeth or clean your mouth. I will make sure they send home a special toothbrush for you. Opening your mouth to clean your back teeth will be uncomfortable for awhile. You'll need to stay on a liquid and soft food diet for up to 2 weeks. Then you can try branching out some. Start small. Don't push yourself. I want to see you back in 2 weeks to check how everything is healing anyway so we can talk more then. Now as far as your pain goes, I am going to write you a prescription for some strong pain killers. Be careful until you know how they're going to effect you. Don't drive, bathe, or walk up or down stairs alone until you're used to them. If you don't like how strong they are, you can take tylenol or ibuprofen. I'm also going to send home some antibacterial wipes and bandages for your stitches. That will need cleaned and a new bandage placed at least once a day. I'm giving you a prescription for antibiotics also so that you don't get an infection. Now do any of you have any questions?"

"When can she go back to school?" my dad asks.

"She should wait until she can handle the pain without the strong pain killers. I'm not comfortable with her taking them and going to school. She will definitely need to be out for at least a week to let her injuries heal some and to let her body rest. After a trauma like this, she will need extra rest so expect her to get tired easily."

"Okay." My dad says.

"How much should she be on her feet during the day?" Edward asks. "Should she be on complete bed rest except to go to the bathroom?"

"I don't think complete bed rest is necessary. Like I said she will need to rest, but she didn't injure her legs or feet so there's nothing wrong with her walking around the house some, but not a lot. Isabella," he says looking me in the eyes, "listen to your body. It will tell you when it's too much."

"Okay" I tell him.

"Any other questions?" Dr. Stevenson asks.

We all shake our heads.

"Okay then I will get your prescriptions, supplies, and discharge papers." He says before leaving.

"I brought you some clothes, Bells. I didn't think you would want to leave in that gown." My dad tells me handing me a duffel bag. He brought several pairs of pants and a few different shirts. I guess he wanted me to have choices. At the bottom of the bag I find the book I bought for Edward, my dad is seriously the best. I didn't even think to hide it before I went to radiology.

"Thanks dad." I answer, blushing. "I'll just have the nurse help me dress before we leave."

"Okay." He says awkwardly.

Soon the nurse comes in. I haven't met this one yet.

"Hello there, I'm Maggie. Dr. Stevenson has given me all of your things for you to take home, and here's your discharge papers. Mr. Swan I'll need you to sign these since Isabella's a minor. Also here is her prescription. If you want to get it filled at the hospital pharmacy, it is on the first floor." She tells my dad.

"Thank you." I tell her. "Would you mind helping me get changed before I leave?"

"Not at all." She tells me.

Edward helps me to the bathroom door, but lets Maggie take it from there. I don't need a lot of help, just some so that I don't bump any of my injuries and to make sure that I don't snag my stitches.

Once we're finished, we head back out to my room where I sit on the bed so Maggie can take my IV out. I look up at Edward because I know there's going to be blood, but he doesn't seem concerned he just sits and holds my hand.

Finally with a bag full of supplies and a bandaid on my hand, I am ready to go home. Finally.


	19. Chapter 18

BPOV

Thankfully, dad lets me ride home with Edward so I don't have to ride in his police car. I hate that thing.

Edward and I are fairly quiet on the way to my house, just listening to music and holding hands. When we pull in the driveway behind the cruiser, my dad beats Edward to my door. He helps me out of my seat with one hand and grabs my, for lack of a better term, butt cushion with the other, leaving me to grab Edward's outstretched arm and go inside. Walking into the kitchen, it looks like I've entered another world or at least another house. There are casserole dishes and containers of food everywhere. It looks like enough food to feed an army! Standing in front of the sink washing dishes is Esme with her caramel hair thrown up in a pony tail, wearing jeans, a faded t shirt, and a flowery apron. She looks like she just stepped out of a mom magazine.

"Bella!" She yells rushing over to hug me very gently.

"Hi Esme. What are you doing here? Did you do all of this?" I ask her, hugging her back.

"Of course I did," She tells me, "You two have to eat, and with all of your injuries you should not be standing and preparing a meal. So I called your father and told him that I had a few things for you. Once I got here I just couldn't stop cooking! I think I've made you enough to last a week or so, and I can definitely come back if need be. There are several different meal options, including plenty of soft foods for you. Each have a note taped to them with the name of the dish, the meal it should be eaten at, and reheating instructions. There are also several different kinds of cookies in the cabinet. If you have any requests I can make more, just let me know."

"Esme…this is amazing. I'm speechless." I stutter out

"It was no problem at all, sweetheart. You know that I love cooking. Now I better get home. You need to rest and I need to go home and cook dinner for my own family." She says taking off her apron and winking at me.

"Thank you so much, Esme." Charlie tells her as I go over and grab her in a tight hug.

"You're very welcome. Edward are you going to stay here for dinner?"

"No I'll be home for dinner. I just want to help Bella get settled." He tells her. Looking up at him, I frown. I didn't know that he was going to leave. I'm not sure I'm okay with it. He just smirks at me and taps my nose with his finger.

"Okay then I'll see you at home, honey. Bye everyone" she calls going outside.

"That women is like Martha Stewart and Wonder Woman combined." Charlie says.

"Yep" I agree.

"Okay Bells let's get you up the stairs to your room. I put a TV in there for you so that you don't have to come downstairs very often. Of course the bathroom's up there and I can bring you anything you want for the kitchen." He tells me, "Maybe I could get you a little fridge for your room." He says absentmindedly.

"Dad, no this is fine. The doctor said I could be up as long as I feel okay." I tell him. He doesn't need to get me all of these things that I'm only going to use for a few weeks.

"Okay, if you're sure." He tells me, "Do you think you can walk up the stairs on your own? Do you need me to carry you?" dad asks.

"I think I'll be okay. Maybe you can just walk behind me and Edward can go in front of me in case I get dizzy."

"Okay sounds like a plan." Dad says.

Edward grabs my duffel bag from the hospital and heads toward the stairs. Grabbing the back of his shirt with both hands we head up the stairs. I'm really enjoying the view of his backside in front of my face, and before I know it we're upstairs.

"Do you need to use the bathroom before going to your room? Maybe we should have had Esme stay and help you." My dad says awkwardly. He's looking everywhere except at me. Poor guy.

"No dad, I'm fine. I think I can go to the bathroom by myself anyway. There's a counter I can hold onto if I get dizzy. Maybe I can ask Alice or Esme to come over just to help me shower or change clothes."

"I'm sure they would gladly help you." Edward says.

Hmmm maybe I could convince him to help me. That thought makes me blush. Of course Edward notices my blush, but misinterprets it.

"You don't have anything to be embarrassed about, Bella. They would be very respectful and _discreet._ " He tells me. He emphasizes "discreet" to tell me that they would block him from their thoughts of my naked body.

"Okay" I tell him quietly.

By the time we're done talking, my dad has my bed set up with extra cushions under my backside and head. He also has my nightstand set up with all of my medicine and bandages for my stitches. There's a remote on the nightstand which I assume belongs to the TV that he has set up on my desk with a DVD player and a stack of DVDs. On the other side of my bed is an unfamiliar table that he has stacked high with books and magazines.

"You didn't need to do all of this, dad"

"Well I figured since you're going to be in here the majority of the day for awhile, you would want stuff to do." He says shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you need anything or want to change before we help you lay down?" Edward asks.

"No I'm okay." I tell him and he just nods.

Edward goes around to the other side of the bed and fluffs all of my pillows for me, including the ring shaped one for my bum, while my dad pulls back my covers and helps me lay down. I have to shift around a little bit so that I'm comfortable without weight on my tailbone.

"Are you okay?" my dad asks.

"Yeah I'm comfortable, well as comfortable as I can get."

"Okay well the nurse said you can have more pain medicine when you eat dinner. Is there anything specific you want to eat? I'm pretty sure you have a lot of choices." I just laugh.

"No dad, surprise me." I tell him.

"Okay." He says turning to leave the room, but quickly turns back around, "Edward isn't your mom expecting you?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah Chief Swan. I should go." He says holding in a laugh.

Leaning down to kiss my cheek, he whispers "I'll be back."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Edward. I love you." I tell him loud enough for my dad to hear.

"I love you too." He says and winks before leaving.

Dad just grunts and follows him downstairs.

My head is starting to ache so I just close my eyes and lean back on my pillows. I'm too hungry to sleep, but it's nice to rest my eyes. The doctor said that my head might hurt for a little while because of how hard it hit the cement, not to mention the pain from the stitches.

A few minutes later my dad comes in carrying a tray for me.

"Esme made special meals for you since you're on a soft food diet. Tonight it's chicken noodles and mashed potatoes. Once you finish that there's some pudding for dessert."

"Thanks dad."

He helps me sit up and puts pillows behind my back to make it more comfortable before putting the tray on my lap.

"Just holler if you need me Bells. There's a game football game starting in a few minutes. The Seahawks better step up their running game or we're going to get crushed." He tells me with a frown.

"Okay dad. Enjoy your game. I'll probably go to sleep after I eat. My pain meds make me sleepy and I need to take some."

"Okay don't forget to change your bandage, and let me know if you need help…changing clothes..or something." He tells me.

"Okay." I giggle.

"Goodnight Bells. Just put the tray on your table when you're done and I'll grab it later."

"Goodnight dad. Love you."

"Love you too, B." He says and goes downstairs closing my door behind me.

Esme really should be a chef. This food is amazing. I still don't understand how she can cook this way when she doesn't even eat.

When I'm finished I reach to put it on my table and a white hand reaches out to help me. Our eyes meet and I smile at him.

"Hi" I say

"Hello love. Did you have a good dinner?" he asks setting my tray on the table and taking a seat next to me in bed.

"Yeah. I need to take my pain medicine. I'm supposed to take it after I eat."

"Okay I'll get it. Are you hurting?"

"Yeah my head is pounding."

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Here you go." He says handing me my pills and my glass of water.

'Thank you."

"No problem. Is there anything I can do?" He's frowning and I hate it.

"Just hold me please. The medicine will kick in soon." I tell him.

"I can definitely do that." He says scooting under the covers with me and holding me against his chest. I love the way my body molds to his. We're two pieces that were meant to fit together.

After a few minutes my headache starts lightening up.

"It's getting better now, but I don't want to move." I tell him nuzzling into his muscular chest.

"You don't have to love." He says.

I just sigh and lean up.

"I have to change my bandage before I go to sleep." I tell him

"Do you want my help? I have gone to medical school."

"Yeah sure."

He helps me sit up so he can see the cut on my hairline.

"This might hurt a little." He murmurs pulling back the current bandage. It pinches a little but not too badly.

"It looks good. The skin is pink and healthy, no signs of infection. How does it feel?"

"Okay. A little itchy."

"That's normal." He tells me grabbing an antiseptic wipe. "This may sting some. Tell me if it does."

At the first wipe I jump and wince.

"I'm sorry love, I'll try to be more gentle."

"It's okay." I tell him.

After a few swipes he's done and he replaces it with a new clean bandage. He places a sweet kiss on my forehead right under the cut.

"You're all done", he murmurs.

"Thank you."

"I'd do anything for you, Bella." He says sweeping the wrappings and trash into the trash can by my bed.

As he tries to climb into bed with me, I stop him.

"Is something wrong love?" he asks me confused.

"Um I need to go to the restroom, and when I'm done could you help me change into my pajamas?"

"Are you…um…sure? I can call Alice. It's no problem." He stammers.

"Actually I would rather have you…but if it makes you uncomfortable I'll call Alice." I tell him.

"No it's..uh..fine. Do you need help getting to the bathroom?"

"No I don't think so." I tell him standing up. I'm a little dizzy and start to sway so he steadies me.

"I think we've found how this medicine affects you, Bella." He says concerned.

"Oh good more challenges to my balance" I murmur heading to the bathroom. Edward just chuckles behind me.

After I do my business and wash my hands, I head back to my room. Edward is sitting on my bed literally twiddling his thumbs looking deep in thought.

"Hey" I say and he jumps up like I surprised him. I thought it was impossible to sneak up on a vampire.

"Hi" he stutters back.

I just smile and head to my dresser. There's an awkward silence as I pick my nightgown for tonight. I choose a floor length black silk nightgown. It's spaghetti strapped so it should be easy to get over my head without catching my stitches.

When I turn around Edward's watching me with dark eyes.

"Are you ready?" he asks huskily and I just nod at him.

"It hurts to raise my arms all the way so can you just lift my shirt and I'll maneuver my arms around?" I ask him trying to get past some of the awkwardness.

"Don't worry, love, I'll help with whatever you need." He tells me.

Grabbing the hem of my shirt he lifts it to my breasts and I slide my arms out so he can lift it off of my head. Suddenly I wish I had something sexier on than my plain white cotton bra with polka dots on it, but when I look at him his eyes are locked on my bruised ribs. He runs his fingers along my bruises so gently that I can barely feel it.

"I'm so sorry love." He whispers. I don't know how to respond so I just stand there.

Suddenly he drops to his knees and lays soft kisses to my abdomen.

"Never again." He says, "I'll never let you get hurt like this again."

"Edward it wasn't your fault. It's okay." I tell him running my fingers through his hair.

He stands and looks intently into my eyes for a minute.

"We should do your pants now, love." He whispers.

Hooking my thumbs into my sweatpants, I push them down a little. Edward seems to know exactly what to do as he protects my tailbone and helps slide them down my legs. I can't bend over because of my ribs. He kneels again to help me pull them off of my feet. I hold to his shoulders while lifting one foot at a time. Once they're off, he looks back up at me and I try to hide my blush. His face is now in front of my panties. I wish I would have worn cute ones. He runs his cool fingers up and down my legs causing goosebumps before planting a wet kiss on my right thigh and stands up.

"Once you're better, we're going to be in that position again for a completely different reason love. I can't wait." He groans huskily in my ear.

Swallowing hard, I say "I think I would like that." _Wow Bella. Lame!_

"Oh I'm sure you would, and so would I." He chuckles darkly in my ear and I shiver.

The moment is broken when I start to sway again.

"Lets get you into bed, love, you need to rest." He tells me.

 _Yeah like I can sleep now._

I turn around so my back is to him and move my hair over my shoulder.

"Can you undo my bra? I can't reach my arms back there."

He doesn't answer but soon I feel his cool fingers on my back as he unhooks my bra and I breathe a sigh of relief. I swear the person who invented bras was a masochist.

The straps are still on my shoulders and I put my hand over the cups to keep them in place. Edward caresses my bare back with his cool fingers and I almost purr with pleasure. Using one finger he pushes one strap off of my shoulder and then the other while laying soft, wet kisses as he goes. I gain a little bravery and let go with my hand letting my bra hit the floor. Edward is laying kisses along my shoulders and neck. I'm sure he got a peek, but before I can turn around and face him, he puts my nightgown over my head. Gently helping my arms through, he pulls it down to my feet ghosting his hands along my sides as he goes.

"I can't see you like that, love. Not yet. I won't survive seeing your gorgeous naked body and not doing anything about it."

"Why can't you do anything?" I ask him.

"Love, you're injured. I would love nothing more than to move to the next step with you but not when you're hurt. I want to love you with complete abandon and I wouldn't be able to do that if I was worried about hurting you."

"It's okay Edward." I tell him turning to face him and putting my arms around his waist. "Soon" I say and peck him on the nose. He grins at me.

In less than a second, he's swept me up into his arms and crawled into bed with me. Making sure that I'm laying on his chest on my uninjured cheek, he kisses my head.

"I'll watch over you tonight, love, so you don't injure your cheek." He tells me.

"Thank you. I love you." I mumble to him. My medicine is really hitting me.

"I love you too. Sweet dreams."


	20. Outtake

EPOV

It's been two days since my Bella came home from the hospital. I've been going stir crazy, but she needed me with her. I need to get out there and find those bastards who hurt her. My hands are itching to get around their necks. I've been suppressing this urge for awhile but I can't wait anymore.

Tonight's the night.

It's midnight when Jasper and Emmett get to Bella's house. She has been asleep for a couple hours and she will probably sleep the whole time I'm gone. Her medication knocks her out. Taking off my sweater, leaving me in my t shirt and jeans, I lay it next to her so she has something with my scent on it to cuddle with while I'm gone. With a kiss to her forehead, I'm out the window.

"Hey Eddie" Emmett says as Jasper nods at me in greeting. "Ready to go hunting?"

"Yes." I tell him shortly. I'm not in the mood to joke or play.

He catches on quickly and nods. Without another word, we are running to Port Angeles.

We all go to the alley next to the bookstore where Bella was attacked. We've decided to start there and gradually fan out. They must live near here.

Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out the blouse that Bella was wearing that night. There is still a faint scent from the man who touched her, and that's what we're going to use to find him. I remember their scents from the night I scared them off, but Jasper and Emmett have never encountered them. Hopefully the others will be with him.

We pass Bella's blouse around making sure to take a good sampling of the scent before I put it back in my pocket.

"Keep alert as we run. If you catch even a hint of his scent, call out to the others and we'll be there." I tell them and they nod in understanding.

We all head off in different directions searching for the man who dared to touch my mate. Emmett and Jasper know how important this is to me and would do the same thing for their mates. In fact, Emmett would have had the chance to if Rosalie hadn't gotten to them first. He definitely understands my feelings right now.

We've been diligently searching for about a half hour before I come across a familiar scent. Zeroing in on it, I move closer. I'm standing outside of a bar called Lucky Leons when I know. It's them. All of them. They're inside drinking.

"I found them" I growl. Jasper and Emmett appear at my side in ten seconds.

"How do you want to handle this Edward? You're in charge." Jasper says. He knows I need to be the one to spearhead this.

"We'll wait for them to come out and we'll pull them into that alley." I point to show them where I mean. "There are six of them so each of us will have to grab two, but that shouldn't be a problem. Leave the leader to me. The others are fair game. The darkness and the noise from the bar should give us enough cover. We'll be gone before their bodies are found."

They both nod at me and we go stand in the shadows to wait for our prey.

It's 2:00 AM when the bartender calls last call, and the men come tumbling out.

Quickly we grab all of them and pull them into the alley. Lining them up against the wall, I take a good look at them. I'm disgusted by what I see.

"Remember me?" I ask in a menacing voice.

They don't answer, they just stand there shaking. Looking into the thoughts, I can see why they're so afraid. I look every bit of a vampire right now.

"That woman you hurt was mine. You said filthy things to her and scared her half to death. Now for that I might let you live…but the problem is you hurt her. She was in the hospital for days. You broke her bones and her skin, and for that you will pay with your lives."

With that ominous threat hanging in the air, the leader, Vinny, tries to run. He doesn't manage to take more than one step before I have ahold of his neck and slam him into the brick wall. His skull makes a satisfying crunch and I smile at the sound.

"You." I hiss into his face. "You touched my Bella. Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you?"

 _Bella? I don't know any Bella. Maybe he's talking about that chick last week with the blonde hair and the big rack. She was so hot. When I pinned her down behind the bar, she screamed for help but I know she wanted it. She moaned like a whore once I was inside her. She loved getting her pussy all torn up. I love it when they bleed on me._

His thoughts almost make me physically sick. He not only hurt my Bella but he has raped other women.

"You don't remember me do you?" I ask him and he shakes his head no. "Well we've met briefly…I should have killed you then."

I'm vaguely aware of Jasper and Emmett taking care of the other men around me, but I'm solely focused on Vinny and his fear.

"You..You're not gonna kill me. You don't have the guts." He tells me in a falsely brave voice that would have been more convincing if he wasn't shaking.

"Oh but I am going to kill you. Slowly." I tell him as I keep my hold on his neck, letting him get just enough air so that he doesn't pass out. It would be no fun if he were unconscious.

"You wanna talk about guts?" I ask him rhetorically. "Well how many guts does it take to attack a young woman half your size? Hey Jazz, do you think this coward has any guts?" I ask and look over to Jazz who is watching me with a smirk on his face.

"No Ed I don't think so, but you might want to make sure."

When I look back at Vinny, I can see the fear in his eyes. I just nod at Jasper's words as I take my fingernail and slice cleanly across the front of Vinny's stomach. He immediately starts bleeding and I peek into Jasper and Emmett's thoughts to make sure they're okay. They're both thinking the same thing. They wouldn't take a drink from this guy if he were the last living thing on earth. Vinny's screams are music to my ears.

"Well you proved me wrong Vinny. I see you do have some guts." I tell him before reaching inside of him and pulling out his intestinal tract. He lets out a gut-wrenching scream as I throw his intestines on the ground. This has been a popular form of torture throughout history. Once the intestinal tract is pulled out, a person lives in extreme pain until they die from the blood loss. There's no way for them to be saved.

I have no use for him anymore, so I drop him on the ground and let him scream. Walking back over to Emmett and Jasper, I look down at the other men laying on the ground. It looks like they snapped their necks. That's good. It's clean and effective.

"You ready to go?" I ask them and they nod at me. I take one more second to spit on Vinny's writhing body before we head home.

We are all silent on the run home. None of us like to kill humans, but it had to be done this time. My mating urges force me to avenge my mate, especially if she has been hurt. I can't stop them, and I don't want to. They deserved to die for what they did to my Bella and to those other women. Now they will never hurt anyone again.

When we get back to my house, I don't want to disturb anyone with the blood that is all over me, so I jump up to my bedroom window and quickly go to my bathroom. Turning the shower on high and hot, I stand under the water for a long time. I can't believe what I did. I know I wanted to kill them but I didn't think I would be that brutal. I let my monster come out. A shiver runs through me with that thought. I can never let myself become that again.

Quickly washing myself with my rarely used soap, I hurry to get out of the shower. Once I'm dressed I jump back out of my window and run. There's only one person I want to see right now.

When I get close to the Swan house, I can hear my Bella's soft snores and it makes me smile. She didn't really snore before, but she has since she's been taking pain medicine. Jumping into her window, I don't waste anytime before climbing into bed with her and pulling her into my arms.

"I love you, Bella….please forgive me." I whisper softly into her hair as she sleeps innocently on my chest.


	21. Chapter 19

BPOV

"Everything looks great, Isabella." Dr. Stevenson says looking at my most recent X-rays.

It's been two weeks since I was attacked and today is my last appointment with Dr. Stevenson so I can get the all clear. These last two weeks have been crazy. A few days after the attack, I was called into the police station to ID the men who attacked me. Apparently they found them all in an alley in Port Angeles. They were all dead. I know that it was Edward, but we never talked about it. I don't want to know the details. He did what he had to do as my mate, and I respect that. I'm even happy that he did. My dad was so worried about finding those men and now he doesn't have to worry at all. After I went to the police station, I came home to find Edward in my room. He looked at me with sadness and nervousness in his eyes. I just pulled him into my arms and held him. We never said another word about it.

Today, I had to leave school early so that I could get to my appointment in Port Angeles on time. My dad is with me and insisted Edward go to school today; therefore Edward is anxiously sitting by the phone waiting to hear that I'm okay. I've been hoping that the doctor would tell me that everything is okay.. I'll be happy when I don't have to be so careful when I'm sleeping or brushing my teeth. I also am worried about Edward. He hasn't hunted since the attack and his eyes are completely black. He won't even go hunt animals close to Forks. He refuses to leave me. I understand that he is scared because of what happened the last time he was gone but he needs to eat. We made a deal that if the doctor gave me the all clear today, he would have to go hunting. Don't get me wrong, I hate being away from him, but I would rather be in pain than let him be in pain.

"Great, so I'm healed?" I ask him.

"Well it will be a little while before you are completely healed, but the bones are still set correctly and have healed considerably. I think you are fine to go back to your normal activities."

"That's great thank you."

"No problem. Now have you been having any problems from your other injuries?"

"Nope. I still get an ache in my tailbone sometimes but not often. The cut on my head healed fine after you took the stitches out. I haven't been having any headaches or dizziness from the concussion, and my ribs are completely fine."

"Well then Isabella I think you are good to go. If you will just give this to the nurse, you can be on your way." He tells me and hands me my appointment summary.

"Thank you doctor" my dad says, standing and shaking his hand.

"Not a problem Chief Swan. Take care of yourself Isabella." He says before leaving.

"Well I say we go out to celebrate, Bells." Dad says.

"Do I get to pick?" I ask excited.

"Yep." He says.

"Yes! Mexican food!" I tell him and he laughs.

I finally have been able to have real food for the past few days and I have been eating enough for 4 people. I've been going through countries and I have yet to hit Mexico. We've eaten food from Italy, China, Japan, France, and classic American. Now it's time to have some chips and salsa. We're going to need a giant to go box.

"Alright Bells we'll head straight there from here since we're already in Port Angeles." He tells me and we go to checkout at the nurses station.

In the car, I can finally call Edward. He answers on the first ring.

 _Hi, sweetheart. How did it go? What did he say?_

"He said that I"m fine. I have the all clear to go back to normal, and guess what!"

 _What?_ he says as he laughs at my excitement.

"Dad's taking me to get Mexican food! I'm so excited. Real food!"

He starts laughing loudly and the sound makes me smile. His laugh is beautiful.

 _I'm very happy for you, love. So I'll see you when you get home?_

"Yeah I'll see you then" I tell him discreetly glancing over at my dad.

 _Okay enjoy your dinner. I love you._

"I love you too Edward." I tell him and hang up.

"We're here Bells." My dad says putting the car in park.

We're at a giant building with the name Caliente on the front flashing in big red and green letters.

"Let's go!" I say and jump out of the car.

"Oh boy" I hear my dad grumble behind me. He's about to see something real special.

I feel like I ate an entire cow. I swear I went up at least 2 pants sizes. We pull up to our house and I'm pretty sure my dad is going to have to roll me out of the car.

"You okay there Bells?" he asks me smirking.

"Unggn" I grunt and he busts out laughing.

"I told you not to order that second entree. Come on you can sleep it off." He tells me before coming around to open my door and carrying my to go boxes (yes plural) inside.

Immediately I start heading upstairs. I know Edward is here.

"I'm going to go do homework before I go to bed, dad. I'll come back down before I go to sleep." I yell to him over my shoulder.

I feel like a slug as I'm moving up the stairs. Once I get to my room I quickly (for a slug) move inside and close the door behind me. There's my angel sitting on my bed smirking at me. He really is too beautiful for it to be fair.

"Hello beautiful" he says to me. Apparently he likes slugs.

"Hey," I mumble and fall face first into my bed.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"I aaaa oooo muu." I mumble into my pillow.

"Um in English please." He says

Lifting my head I say "I ate too much." And let my face fall back to my pillow.

His laughter shakes my bed, but I ignore him.

"I'm sorry, love." He says still chuckling.

"It's okay." I tell him rolling over onto my back and looking up at him, "I'm starting to feel a little better."

"Good" he tells me running his finger lightly down my face.

"So let's talk about this weekend" he says after a minute.

"Okay."

"Well it's going to be sunny tomorrow, so I thought I could go hunting. Then the family is all going hunting this weekend. So if I go hunting tomorrow, I can be back by the next day, Friday, and then we would have the whole weekend to ourselves. Maybe you could even tell Charlie you're staying with Alice, and you could stay the night with me."

"Three days just the two of us?" I practically squeal out.

"Well only if that's what you want. If not, we can work something else out."

"Of course that's what I want." I shriek and throw my arms around his neck. 'This will be perfect."

"Good" he says putting his arms around me and letting us fall so we're laying on our sides. "I'll ask Alice to talk to Charlie. Now that means I have to leave tonight after you fall asleep so that I can be back by tomorrow night."

"Oh"

I hadn't thought of that. I must be frowning and pouting because he runs his finger across my bottom lip.

"You know what that pout does to me, love. You stick it out there, and I might have to do something with it." He says.

"Maybe I would like that." I tell him and lean up to take his mouth with mine. The kiss is heated and wet. Our tongues are tangled together and our lips are moving in sync. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and runs his silky tongue along it, and I moan. Gripping his hair in my hands, I pull and he groans right back. I move my kisses down to his neck so that I can breathe and I lick and nibble all over his neck. I can't get enough of him.

"God Bella. You're driving me crazy." He groans and I hum in reply.

He runs his hands under my shirt and along my back as he takes my mouth again.

"Jesus you taste good." I tell him and he smiles.

When his hands finally make it to my breasts, he takes them into his hands and squeezes gently. I moan into his mouth and he freezes.

"Love, we're getting carried away. I think we need to stop. I don't want our first time to be with Charlie down the hall."

I just nod at him but I can't stop looking at his lips. God the things I want them to do to me. Suddenly he moans and his mouth is back on mine, and he rolls us over so he's on top of me. He reaches up and rips his shirt off so that I can touch him. His body is perfection. Running my fingers down his back, I find the dimples on either side of his spine above his hips. When I scratch my nails over them he moans and bucks his hips into me. God that feels good. I break away from his mouth to take my shirt off quickly. When I lean up to kiss him, he leans away looking at the newly exposed skin.

"You're so beautiful, love. I'm in awe of you." He whispers and I blush.

"Bells! I put your leftovers in the fridge. Do you want a tums or something?" Charlie yells from outside my door. In literally a blink of an eye, Edward is gone and I have my shirt in my hands.

"Hold on dad." I yell back throwing my shirt on quickly and patting my hair down. My government textbook is on the floor next to the bed so I pick it up and turn to a random page. "Come in."

"Hey you feeling better?" he asks coming in and sitting on the foot of my bed. I can't help but think that a half naked Edward was just there.

"Yeah a little bit."

"Good. I'm heading to bed. I have to be at the station early tomorrow. Go to sleep once your homework's finished Bell, I mean it. No talking on the phone to Edward all night." He tells me sternly.

"Okay dad, I promise." Technically I'm not lying. We won't be talking on the phone.

"Alright. Night Bells." He tells me leaning forward and kissing my forehead.

"Goodnight dad." I tell him as he leaves my room shutting the door behind him.

"Edward!" I hiss. "Where are you?"

"Right here, love" he says coming out of the closet.

"Oh. Very nice." I tell him nodding towards the closet.

"I thought so. Now you see why we can't get carried away with Charlie in the next room."

"Yeah, we'll just have to wait until we're alone."

He just nods in reply.

"You need to go to sleep love, I'll stay for awhile." He says crawling in bed with me. He's still gloriously shirtless and I take full advantage of it. Laying my head on his chest, I run my fingers all over his muscles.

"You can't even imagine how that feels, love. It's like little flames along my skin."

I pull back. "It feels like I'm burning you?" I ask horrified.

"No" he says pulling my hands back "its just because of our temperature difference. It feels amazing. It's like I'm dead and your touch is bringing me back to life." He sighs and I just smile into his chest.

"When do you think you'll be back tomorrow?" I ask him after a few minutes.

"Probably really late. You'll be in bed." He says.

"Will you wake me when you come in?"

"If you want me to, of course I will."

"I want you to."

"Okay" he says simply. "Go to sleep love. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Okay I love you. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too and I love you too. More than anything." He tells me running his fingers through my hair while I doze off.


	22. Chapter 20

BPOV

Ugh why is my pillow scratching my face. It's too early for this.

Picking my head up, there's a piece of paper on the pillow that I just rolled onto. Well that would explain the scratching.

It's a note from Edward.

 _Love-_

 _I didn't want to wake you when I left. You were sleeping so peacefully._

 _I hope you continued to sleep well and have a good day at school._

 _Alice called me and wants to go shopping with you after school today._

 _Apparently the sun will be gone by then. I told her to talk to you._

 _Good luck._

 _I love you and I'll see you tonight._

 _Forever yours,_

 _Edward_

Oh boy, I wonder what Alice wants. She's probably going to drag me around the mall for hours until my feet are throbbing. Maybe I can just tell her that I have homework so I can't go.

My phone dings from my nightstand, pulling me out of my thoughts. It's a text from Alice.

 _Don't even think about it. You'll like this shopping trip I promise._

 _Okay, okay. I'll see you after school._ I reply. Stupid all-knowing vampire.

Crawling out of bed, I hop into the shower. I spend a little extra time in there moisturizing and shaving everything. There's a good chance Alice will be seeing me naked in the dressing rooms today. Plus I have my weekend with Edward soon.

After drying off, I blow dry my hair so it hangs in loose curls down my back and add a black sparkly headband. Dressing up a little since I'll be going out with Alice later, I choose a black sweater dress that comes to my mid-thigh and pair it with a pair of black leggings. Taking the handkerchief that Edward left me with his scent on it, I tuck it into my bra. Hmm I wonder what he would think about that. Once I throw on a pair of black flats and my locket, I'm ready to go.

My dad isn't home when I get downstairs, but there is a pop-tart on the table with a sticky note on it that says "Breakfast is served". Laughing, I grab it and a bottle of water before heading outside.

Part of me is glad that Edward didn't come to school with me today. I miss him terribly and the mating connection is making me antsy and nervous, but I think he would have killed someone if he had come. All of the boys in my grade kept watching me, apparently they're not used to me dressing up. I don't know, but I caught several of them staring at my backside when I would walk past them. I can only imagine what they were thinking. All I know is that I'm glad school is over.

Hopping into my truck, I can't get out of there fast enough. Of course Alice is sitting in her Mercedes in my driveway waiting on me when I get there.

"Are you ready to go Bella?" She asks as she hops out of the car. I swear her parents had to have been a fairy and a pixie.

"Yeah just let me put my backpack inside." I tell her.

"Okay. You look hot by the way." She says and whistles at me.

I just laugh at her "Thanks Alice. I knew that I would be seeing you and wanted to look my best."

"Oh pffftt you could wear a sack and still look beautiful" She says waving her hand as I throw my backpack into the house.

"Whatever. Let's go." I wave her off as we get into the car. "Where are we going by the way?"

"Northgate Mall in Seattle. Then maybe some other places. We have a specific agenda for today."

"And are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Lingerie! You're spending the week with Edward…alone. Remember?"

"Of course I remember. This is actually really great, Alice. I don't have much at home. Mostly just nightgowns to sleep in."

"I know. See I told you that you would like this trip."

"I never doubted you, Alice."

Once we get parked, Alice makes a beeline for Victoria's Secret.

"So I think that we should just buy you something of everything: panties, bras, lingerie, nightgowns, and sleepwear. After all, he is going to be seeing all of it."

"Okay, Alice. Lead the way."

Once we get into the store, Alice immediately grabs a bag to fill. She's like a drill sergeant.

"Why don't you just go into the dressing room and I'll bring you stuff? It will be easier that way."

Like a good soldier, I just do what I'm told.

I'm not even in the dressing room for a full 5 minutes before she comes in with her arms full.

"Now since you have no experience with lingerie we're going to try all different kinds. Once you see what you like, we can always get more."

"Okay." I tell her.

"So we have all kinds of fabric: silk, satin, lace, velvet, and more. There's clingy, flowing, tight, and loose. You pick what you like. I started you out with bodysuits in all different fabrics and colors. Choose your favorites and then we'll start on teddies." she tells me and like a tornado, she's gone leaving a mess in her absence.

After trying on every one of the bodysuits, teddies, and bustiers, I've come to the conclusion that lingerie is the devil. At least they look nice on me. Alice lets me pick my favorite of each kind myself while adding some input on what Edward will like.

"So that is all of the lingerie stuff. Let's move on to some more comfortable stuff. We'll start with camisoles and babydolls and then move on to more casual sleepwear."

I just nod at her. I'm exhausted and we aren't even half done yet. This better be worth it.

Finally I'm able to put my own clothes back on. I chose a few of each thing that Alice showed me. My favorites are the baby dolls and camisoles. They're cute and sexy while being comfortable, but I chose a few of the uncomfortable outfits too. You never know.

Alice lets me pick out my own panties and bras. I choose mostly silk and lace. They seem to be my favorite fabrics. Once that's done, we're finally ready to go.

"Um will that be all for you?" the cashier asks when we set our truckload of stuff onto the counter. Her eyes are massive as she takes in our purchase.

"Yes." Alice says and hands the cashier her credit card.

"No Alice let me pay for this. I brought my own money so that I could buy my stuff." I protest.

"Bella I dragged you out here to shop. It's the least I can do to pay."

"Fine but I'm paying next time."

"Deal." She says and smirks because she won the argument.

With our purchases in hand, we head out to the car.

"Now there are a couple more stores I want to hit while we're here in Seattle. You might want to call your dad. He'll be worried about you." Alice tells me as we get into the Mercedes.

More shopping? Doesn't she ever get tired? Oh of course not, she's a vampire. This was a bad idea. I'm never gonna get to go home.

"Okay Alice, but you have to stop and get me food on the way." I tell her as I pull my phone out.

When we finally get back to my house it's a few minutes until 10. I had to tell my dad to get dinner on his own. Apparently shopping with Alice is an all-day event. He insisted on my 10:00 curfew because it's a school night, so Alice raced to get me home on time.

Grabbing half of my shopping bags out of the backseat while Alice grabs the other half, we head into the house.

"Hi Charlie," Alice calls out.

"Hi girls. Wow it looks like you bought a whole new wardrobe. Do you really need that many clothes?"

"Of course she does Charlie. Have you seen Bella's closet? It's practically empty." Alice huffs at him. I just roll my eyes. My closet is actually full but compared to her massive closet, it must look empty.

"Um alright. I'll let you girls get to it." He says before walking back into the living room muttering about complicated women.

Once we're upstairs, Alice helps me put everything away in record time and then joins me laying on my bed.

"So do you know what you want to bring with you this weekend?" she asks me.

"No, not really. I'll need to look at everything again. It needs to be perfect."

"It will be perfect no matter what, Bella." She tells me, "I would bring plenty though, I'm not sure you'll be leaving the house much."

My face turns bright red as she winks at me.

"Well I'm going to go. Jasper's waiting on me and you need to get to sleep. Edward will be back at 12:08 as long as nothing changes." She tells me.

"Okay be sure to say goodbye to my dad on your way out. I think he loves you more than he loves me."

She just giggles and heads downstairs. A few minutes later I follow her and collapse on the couch next to my dad.

"That one is a force of nature" he says putting his arm around me.

"I know."

"You look tired, Bells. You should go get some sleep." He says leaning over and kissing my forehead.

"Okay goodnight."

"Night B."

Dragging myself upstairs, I don't even bother showering before bed. I'll do it in the morning. I throw on one of my new baby doll nightgowns hoping to surprise Edward when he gets home. My bed is warm when I climb in because I turned on the heated mattress pad before going downstairs. It doesn't take long before I'm dead to the world.

A cool breeze on my face wakes me up.

"Edward?" I call, my voice echoing in the darkness.

"Yeah it's me." His velvet voice says to me before I make out his figure walking towards my bed.

Laying down with me and pulling me into his side he kisses me softly on the lips. His cold skin and clothes makes me shiver but I don't loosen my hold on him.

"I missed you love." He tells me.

"I missed you too." I reply, yawning into his chest.

"Go to sleep sweetheart. I'll still be here in the morning."

I don't hear anything else because before I know it I'm asleep in Edward's arms.


	23. Chapter 21

BPOV

*smack*

I swat at something tickling my arm. Probably a fly.

*smack*

I will not wake up. I will not wake up.

*smack*

Growling out loud, I wrench one eye open. There is my Edward laying next to me laughing.

"What's so funny?" I grumble.

"This." He says and lightly tickles my arm. He was the fly. "You need to wake up love."

"That wasn't very nice." I tell him pouting.

"I'm sorry love." He says and fake pouts. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Hmmm" I pretend to think about it while tapping my chin dramatically. "How about a kiss?

"Deal" he whispers before swooping in and claiming my lips. His lips are soft like silk over steel. When his hardness presses into my leg, my heart skips a beat and he pulls away chuckling at me.

"Come on, love. We have school today. Alice is going to pick you up this morning so she can talk to your dad about this weekend."

"Alright," I grumble, "I need to get in the shower." Pulling the blankets back and getting out of bed, I start walking to the dresser when Edward catches my wrist.

"Is this new?" he asks fingering the hem of my babydoll nightgown that I put on last night.

"Yeah I got it yesterday. Alice took me shopping for sleepwear…and other things." My cheeks are flaming as I spin around to show him my new purchase from all angles.

"Hmm I like it. Did you buy any more?" he asks pulling me into his arms.

"You'll have to wait until the weekend to find out." I say cheekily and duck out of his arms. His face is surprised as I run out of the room laughing.

I take my time in the shower making sure to shave everything and double wash everything on my body. Tonight could be my first time with Edward. A smile breaks out on my face at that thought. I love him so much. I can't wait to be alone with him for a whole weekend even if nothing happens, although I hope that it does. After getting out and wrapping a towel around me, I blow dry my hair so it lays nicely and head into my room. Edward's gone but theres a note on the dresser.

 _My Isabella-_

 _You are a little minx and a temptress._

 _I intend to make good on your promises this weekend._

 _I love you. I will see you at school._

 _Thinking of you every moment_

 _-Edward_

He doesn't even have to be here to make me smile. I add a little bit of make up to accent my eyes and lips, and start getting dressed. Picking up a matching black lace bra and panties, I put them on. The bra pushes everything up and gives me nice cleavage. It's also completely see through because it's all lace. The panties are cheeky lace boy shorts. Even I can admit, I look hot. Putting on my outfit for the day, a burgundy long sleeve v neck t shirt, black skinny jeans, and black knee high boots, I'm ready for the day.

When I get downstairs, Alice is sitting in the kitchen talking to my dad over coffee. I didn't hear her knock. Did she just let herself in? Probably, that seems like something Alice would do.

"Hi guys" I say hesitantly.

"Hey Bella. You look great." Alice says standing to hug me.

"Morning B" my dad says and sips his coffee.

"I was just talking to Charlie about this weekend. Remember the slumber party we talked about yesterday when we went shopping? I got permission from my parents. The boys are going on some big camping trip anyway so it will just be us girls." Alice says winking at me.

"Yeah I remember. Can I go, dad?"

"I will have to talk to Carlisle or Esme to make sure that there will be supervision, but as long as they are going to be there it's okay. Will it be the whole weekend?"

"Of course Charlie!" Alice says, "We can't cover a whole girls weekend in one day." She puts on a mask of horror.

"Okay than I guess I'll see you Sunday evening Bells. Call me if you need anything. I have to get going or I'm going to be late." He says putting his coffee cup in the sink and kissing my forehead before leaving.

"Well it looks like you're on." Alice tells me. "Now we need to go before your boy toy loses his mind. We'll come back after school so you can pack your suitcase for this weekend." She says and pulls on my arm. I barely have time to grab my backpack before we're outside.

When we pull into the school parking lot, its obvious that Alice was right. Edward is pacing next to his Volvo, but stops in his tracks when we pull into the parking lot. His head snaps up and a gorgeous smile breaks out onto his face when our eyes meet.

"I swear, you two are so cheesy." Alice says as she pulls into the parking space next to Edward.

"I know. I love it." I tell her honestly.

The car isn't even stopped completely before Edward is at my door opening it for me. It's only been about an hour since we last saw each other, but I missed him and I know he missed me. When he pulls me into his arms, the discomfort fades from my body. It's amazing how he can heal me with just one touch.

"Hi sweetheart. How was your morning?" he asks me.

"Ehh it was okay, but there was this vampire who disappeared on me earlier."

"Oh I'm sorry about that. It will never happen again." He tells me before taking my lips into a sweet kiss.

"See that it doesn't." I tell him and giggle as he kisses me all over my face.

"Come on, love, let's get this over with." He tells me taking my hand and leading me towards the school.

"What do you think Alice, the blue or the purple?" I ask her while holding up two of my new teddy sets.

"They're both hot. I say take them both. I'm trying not to look to much at this weekend, but I think Edward is going to rip some of your new stuff."

"Alright" I tell her shrugging my shoulders and shoving both of them into my suitcase. I'm pretty sure that I've packed enough for two weeks instead of just three days.

"Okay I'm ready." I yell to Edward while trying to drag my suitcase down the stairs. He immediately shows up at my side and easily takes my suitcase in one hand and grabs my hand with the other.

"Let's go then love." He tells me and we head down the stairs. Alice is dancing down the stairs behind me. Everyone else took the Mercedes home from school while Alice, Edward, and I brought the Volvo to my house. As we leave, I make sure to double lock the door before heading out to the car. Alice climbs in the back so that I can ride next to Edward who is currently putting my massive suitcase into the trunk. He hasn't said a word about the size of my suitcase. I'm guessing that comes from spending years being Alice's brother, or maybe it's because he's excited about what I've packed. Alice says she has been keeping her thoughts from him about our shopping trip, but he isn't stupid. Edward grabs my hand as we pull out of the driveway, and we are on our way to our magical weekend.

As soon as we pull into the driveway, Alice jumps out of the car and runs to Jasper who is standing on the front steps.

"Hey Jasper" I call to him and wave after we step out of the garage. Edward is carrying my suitcase for me of course, and we head up to the house.

"Hello Bella. I think you've been spending too much time with Ali. That suitcase is huge." He teases me.

"I cant help it." I shrug, "I couldn't decide what to bring, so I just brought everything."

He laughs. "Well the others have already headed out. We're the only ones left."

"Well have a fun trip guys. I'll see you on Sunday."

"Yeah! And you can finally meet Em and Rose!" she tells me.

Rosalie and Emmett came home after their hunting trip with the family, but I haven't been over to Edward's since then so I haven't officially met them. My dad kept a short leash on me while I was injured.

I smile and nod at her.

"Well you two have a good weekend too. We'll see you in a few days." She tells us with a wink. In a second they are gone and Edward and I are alone.

"Come on, love, let's get inside before you catch a cold." Edward says from behind me. He maneuvers himself in front of me so he can hold the door open, and we head inside.

"Do you want a snack or anything?" he asks me. "I think Esme stocked the kitchen for you before she left."

"No I'm fine. We have a little bit of homework. Why don't we finish that so that we don't have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend." I suggest to him.

"Whatever you want love. Come on, we can work in my room." He tells me and leads the way up the stairs. I swear this house should get an elevator. Three flights of stairs every time I want to go in or out of Edward's room is going to get annoying really fast.

Once we're finally there, I settle myself on the bed with my backpack so I can start my homework. Edward, of course, gets his homework done in less than five minutes and spends the rest of the time that I'm working touching me or playing with my hair. We both find a lot of comfort in the physical touches of our mate. I can only imagine how its going to intensify this weekend.

Closing my math book, I fall back on the bed. Edward immediately follows me, laying his head on my belly and looking up at my face.

"All done, love?" he asks me.

"Yep, finally. I think senior year is kicking my butt." I tell him honestly.

"You'll be fine. If you need help, I can always tutor you." He grins at me.

"No thank you. After all you're in the same grade that I am."

"Yes love but not for the first time." He raises an eyebrow at me. I just grab a pillow from next to my head and hit him with it.

"Come on sweetheart, lets go make dinner for my favorite human." He tells me

"Oh is Mike Newton coming over?"

He growls at me. "Oh you'll pay for that." He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. My stomach is against his shoulder as he walks down the stairs at a human pace. He just laughs as I pound my fists on his behind.

"Edward put me down." I tell him through my laughter.

The wind blows through my hair and suddenly we're in the kitchen. He sets me down and looks at me with an innocent face.

"There you go, love."

"Thank you." I tell him haughtily and head to the fridge.

It looks like Esme made up burgers and put them in a dish for me, all I need to do is cook them. Grabbing them from the refrigerator and some fries from the freezer, I head over to the oven.

"Are you going to just stand there or are you going to help me?" I ask like I'm still angry with him, but he knows I'm just teasing. I'm a horrible liar especially since he can feel my emotions.

"Of course I'll help you, sweetheart. What do you need?" He asks innocently

"A frying pan and a cookie sheet." I tell him. Within less than a minute he has them sitting on the counter next to me. Stupid fast vampire.

Turning on the stove and oven, I put the burgers on to fry and the fries in the oven. As the grease in the pan bubbles and pops, Edward comes to stand next to me.

"Are you sure it should be doing that?" he asks frowning and his eyebrows furrow.

"Yeah it's fine. It's just frying the meat."

"But what if some grease pops up and hits you. It could burn you."

"It's not a big deal, Edward. I won't get hurt. It's okay."

He just grunts at me.

By the time I've finished cooking my meal, I'm pretty sure that Edward is going to have gray hairs. Every time I flipped a burger or checked on them, he was yanking on his hair. When I took the fries out of the oven, he was hovering over me watching my every move. I don't even want to talk about what he did when I took a knife out to chop some lettuce and tomatoes for my hamburger. He wanted me to chop them with a butter knife. He's crazy.

Edward sits with me while I eat at the giant dining room table. Why do they have a table this big? They don't eat.

"Please don't do that." I say after a minute.

"Do what?" he asks innocently.

"Watch me eat. It's weird. I feel like a zoo animal."

He laughs. "Okay, love, I'll try not to."

"Thank you."

"Are you finished?" he asks me.

"Yep." I start to take my dish to the sink, but he stops me.

"Leave it. I want to show you something." He tells me and grabs my hand.

Leading me through the house, he takes me into a room off of the living room that I have never been in before. In the center of the room on a raised platform is a grand piano. It's beautiful. I don't know anything about pianos but I can tell it's expensive. Against one wall are plush chairs, and another wall is made up entirely of glass. The view is amazing.

"This is beautiful. Do you play?" I ask him walking slowly into the room and running my fingertips along the sleek piano.

"Yeah I do. It was something that I learned when I was human. My mother forced me to take lessons as a kid. I hated it. Once Carlisle changed me, I was determined to hold onto something from my human life. It was also a good way to get my emotions out."

"That's amazing. Will you play for me?" I ask timidly.

"Of course. That's why I brought you in here. I want to play you a song that I wrote for you. I was waiting until it was finished to play it for you."

Quickly I run over to one of the overstuffed chairs and pull my knees up to my chin. Smiling at him I wave him towards the piano as a gesture for him to play. He just laughs and walks over to me. I yelp as he picks me up in his arms.

"I want you right here when I play." He tells me as he drops me gently onto one side of the piano bench.

"Even better." I mutter.

He smiles as he lays his long, perfect fingers on the keys. He really has beautiful hands. I've never noticed before.

He takes a deep breath, even though he doesn't need it, and begins to play.

It's amazing. Breathtaking.

The song starts out a little sad and I assume it represents before he met me and he was alone. Tears come to my eyes as I think about him lonely and feeling like an outsider. Suddenly it changes and becomes happy, just like our sudden connection when we met. As he plays it becomes more intense and even more joyful. Finally it ends on a sweet note. Slowly he pulls his hands away from the keys, but keeps his eyes down. Putting my hand under his chin, I pull his face up so I can look into his eyes just like he's done to me so many times.

"That was truly extraordinary, Edward. It was amazing." I whisper.

"It's the story of us." He says simply.

"That's why it was so beautiful. I love you so much."

Before he can answer me, I lean forward and take his lips with mine. Tears run down my cheeks as I kiss him so tenderly and he gives me sweet kisses in return. His hands come up to cup my jaw and he freezes.

"Bella are you okay? Are you hurt? Did I push or grab too hard?" he asks anxiously.

"Everything is fine, Edward. It's more than fine. Sometimes the amount of love that I have for you overwhelms me. It feels like I might burst."

"That's because those are vampire feelings, love. Your beautiful human body can't contain them." He says smiling at me and kissing me on the tip of my nose. Shoving my fingers into his hair, I bring his face back to mine. I might be addicted to him and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Pulling away from my lips, he rests his forehead against mine.

"Would you like a bath before we go to bed?" he asks me quietly.

"That would be nice."

"You go on up and get in the tub. There is plenty of bath supplies for you under the sink and towels in the cabinet. Of course you know all of that from your previous snooping." He winks at me.

Huffing and climbing off of the piano bench, I head upstairs with the sound of his laughter behind me.

Once I reach Edward's bedroom, I get undressed and leave my clothes on the bed except my bra which I hang on the bathroom door; I don't want the underwire to get bent or anything, those things are expensive. Grabbing my nightgown for tonight, I head into the bathroom and shut the door. In the bathroom, I choose a vanilla bubble bath and bath salts before going over to the tub. There's a touch screen on the wall which I'm assuming controls the bathtub. After a couple of tries, I get the water running at the temperature that I want. After pouring in the bubble bath and salts, I tie my hair ontop of my head and climb in. It takes me a couple minutes to find the button to turn the jets on, but once I do it's heaven.

The water automatically shuts off once it gets to the right level and I relax back into the seat laying my head on a cushion that is very conveniently placed. Only the best for the non-bathing vampire.

The tub has an automatic warmer in it that reheats the water as it cools, so I could stay in here all night.

It feels like I've been in here for hours when there is a timid knock on the door.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward asks through the door.

"I'm fine. I'll be in out in a minute." I yell back when it occurs to me that I don't need to yell because he can hear me perfectly anyway. Oh well.

"Okay take your time. There's no ru…..Bella what is this hanging on the door?" he asks

"Umm I hung my bra on the door handle when I got undressed. Is that a problem? You can just put it in my suitcase if it bothers you."

"No it's fine. Um..you've had this on under your clothes all day?"

"Um yeah. It's one of my new ones that I got with Alice. Do you like it?" I ask bravely.

"I changed my mind. You can't take your time. There is a rush."

"What's wrong?"

"Your mate will spontaneously combust if you don't come out soon. This sinful scrap of fabric has tipped me over the edge."

I laugh. "Okay I'll be out in a minute."

Moaning, I sit up, I could've sworn that I heard Edward groan like he was in pain but I could be hearing things. Pulling the drain out of the tub, I grab a towel and start drying myself off. I grab my moisturizer off of the counter and rub it all over my skin so that it is soft. I shaved this morning so I don't need to do it again. I pull the tie out of my hair so that it tumbles down on my shoulders in curls. Unfolding my nightgown, I just stare at it for a minute. I'm fairly confident with my choice, but I'm still nervous. I chose one of my new nightgowns of course. It's black with spaghetti straps and it has a purple ribbon under the bust that ties in a bow under my left breast. The neckline is cut straight across, but its low enough that the tops of my breasts show and I even have a little side boob going on. The bust is tight on me so it accentuates my breasts a little bit but not too much. It comes to mid thigh and I have matching black satin panties to match.

Checking my appearance in the floor length mirror, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I don't know if I can do this.

"Bella are you okay? I was just kidding earlier, you can take all of the time you need. Don't worry. Nothing has to happen that you don't want. We can just go to sleep…well you can go to sleep. Just please come out." Edward begs through the door. He must have been able to feel my anxiety.

"Okay." I whisper. I can do this. If it was anyone other than Edward, I probably would have crawled out the window by now, but it is Edward. He is my mate. He understands everything about me. I love him with all of my heart. He would never judge me or be disappointed in me. He loves me.

With a new spring in my step, I head to the door and open it. Edward is standing there staring at me with his mouth open. Twisting my fingers together, I look at the floor.

"Bella" Edward whispers. "You are exquisite. Simply stunning. I am the luckiest man in the world."

"Thank you. Alice helped me pick it out." I tell him, finally brave enough to raise my eyes to his. The love and desire that I see there hits me hard.

"I'll have to send her a thank you note, maybe buy her a present." He tells me. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah."

Walking over to the bed I can feel the electricity bouncing between us, and suddenly I'm nervous again.

His bed is so high that I almost have to jump to get into it. Once I do I pull the blankets over me and lay stick straight on my back.

"Bella, would you like for me to let you sleep alone? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Shooting up panicked, "No! Stay please. I'm just nervous."

"I know, love but nothing has to happen that you don't want to happen. It's all up to you…and for the record I'm nervous too. Remember I've never done any of this either." He says as he climbs into bed with me.

"I know. I want to do this. I really do. I promise."

"Okay, love. Come here." He says opening his arms so that I can cuddle up against him. Laying on his chest like I've done so many times before, I feel at ease.

"I love you, Bella more than anyone has ever loved another." He tells me as he buries his nose in my hair.

"I know Edward. I feel the same about you."

"Good." He says and leans down to kiss me lightly.

His lips are soft and unyielding underneath mine. Sighing into his mouth, I bury my hands into his hair feeling the thick and silky tresses under my fingertips. His tongue pokes out and licks along the seam of my mouth and I gladly open for him. Tangling my tongue with his, his taste explodes in my mouth. Moaning he grabs my hips a little harder in his big hands.

"Edward touch me please." I practically beg into his mouth.

"Are you sure love?" I nod to him, "Anytime you're overwhelmed or want to stop just tell me and we will."

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Make love to me."

He just nods before diving back into my mouth with a new vigor. I let out a deep moan as his tongue explores my mouth and his hands run up and down my sides. When he reaches the bottom of my nightgown, he slowly pulls it up until it's at the top of my belly. Raising my arms, I give him permission to take it all of the way off. Once he does, he drops it onto the floor keeping his eyes locked with mine. Slowly his eyes start to move downward, taking in my mouth, my neck, my chest, and finally my breasts. He stops there and his breath hitches.

"You're so beautiful love. I never imagined anything could be this stunning." He whispers huskily.

My hand shakes as I reach out to grab his cold hand and bring it to my breast. We both moan when his hand closes around it. It's a perfect fit.

"You feel so good, love. So soft and perfect." He tells me before leaning down and kissing my neck. He brings his other hand up to my other breast and begins kneading them gently.

"More Edward. Please." I pant out.

He moans as he kisses down my neck to my chest. His tongue peeks out and traces the bottom roundness of my breast. I arch up into him and moan loudly. He's placing wet, open mouthed kisses all over my breasts except where I want him to.

"Edward please."

"Bella, love, I've waited over a hundred years for this. Please let me savor it. I want to take my time with your sweet body." He tells me and goes back to feasting on my breasts without waiting for an answer.

Finally his mouth closes over my hardened nipple and he sucks it into his mouth. It feels like theres an electric line running straight from my nipple to my core. It clenches and I feel more wetness leak out. Edward moves to my other nipple while bringing his hand up and squeezing the abandoned one lightly with his fingertips.

"Jesus," I moan out.

Bringing both hands to my breasts, he moves his kisses down to my stomach. He kisses all over my abs. I tear up a little bit when he lays sweet, delicate kisses on my scar from the accident that took my mother's life.

When he makes it to the tops of my panties he runs his finger along the top of them.

"I like these." He says huskily. I can't even find the breath to reply.

Hooking his fingers into the sides of them, he slowly pulls them down my legs before dropping them on the floor. His eyes are locked on my core, and reflexively I close my legs.

"Please don't hide from me love. Please" he begs placing his hands on the inside my knees and applying gentle pressure. He wants me to open them, but he's giving me the option to keep them closed. He doesn't force me at all. I love him a little more after that.

When I open them a little bit his face relaxes and his eyes go straight to my core. The more I open my legs, the darker his eyes get. Soon I'm laying with my knees all of the way apart, and Edward's hands are still on my knees rubbing little circles.

"You're so beautiful love. You're perfect." He says moving his hands up my legs. "Can I touch you Bella, please?"

"Yes please."

He moans and moves one hand up to my soaked folds. Running one finger through them, he groans.

"God you're so wet for me, Bella. So wet. Mine." He growls.

When his finger finds my clit, I jump and he smiles softly. He begins circling it slowly and I can't help but lift my hips and moan. God this feels a million times better than when I do it.

"Bella I have to taste you. Can I do that? Please. I need to. I need to feel you shatter on my tongue." He begs me. His eyes are vulnerable and I can tell the mating bond is taking him over. I just nod at him.

I thought I would be uncomfortable with his head between my legs but after the first tentative lick, I'm a goner and so is he. He groans and buries his face in my core.

"You taste so good love. I could live off of you forever." He mumbles into my core, not bothering to take his mouth off of me.

Suddenly his mouth starts vibrating and it takes me a minute to realize he's purring. He buries his tongue into my core while his nose nudges my clit. The vibration sends me over the top and I come all over his face. My body spasms and I call out his name as I grind my sex on his face. He stays down there licking my essence as I continue spasming and come down from my orgasm.

Once he's licked up everything I have for him, he kisses my clit one more time before coming up to lay on the length of my body.

"Wow," I whisper.

"You're amazing Bella. I will do that anytime you want. Just say the word. It's an amazing pleasure to give pleasure to my mate." He tells me. I don't have the strength to reply, but I need more so I reach up and pull on his shirt. He quickly gets my meaning and rips his shirt off, his pants quickly follow and he's left in his black boxer briefs. I can see the outline of his member and unconsciously lick my lips.

"Edward, you're still over dressed. I want to see all of you. Please." I ask him and without hesitation he whips his boxers off.

Finally we are both naked. His body is glorious. Even his legs are beautiful. I purposely ignore his member as I take in the rest of his body. Once I settle my eyes on him, I never want to take them off. He's beautiful, long and thick with moisture all over him. He must have come when I did, yet another perk of being mates.

"Edward, you're beautiful." Usually you're not supposed to call a man beautiful, but there's no other word for him.

"My beauty pales in comparison to yours, my Bella." He tells me as he lays on top of me again. I can feel his member on my inner thigh. One small move and he would be inside of me.

"Are you sure this is what you want, love? We can still stop." He tells me. I know it would cause him physical pain to stop right now, but he would if I asked him to.

"I want this Edward. I want you. I want to be one with you. I want to love you with my body. Please let me." I tell him sincerely and he nods.

When he places his member at my core, he stops and looks at me.

"This may hurt a little sweetheart. If you feel any discomfort, you must tell me. I need to know if it hurts. Please."

"I promise, Edward." Nodding he slips inside of me a little bit.

I can feel myself stretching to accommodate him but it doesn't hurt. His eyes are closed and he has a look of great frustration on his face as he pushes inside of me slowly. When he gets to my barrier he pushes through it slowly. It stings a little bit but not much. It helps that I'm so wet and that I'm able to relax with him.

"Are you okay love?" He grinds out between his teeth.

"I'm fine, Edward. Move. Please."

He pushes all of the way in and I feel my body stretch around him. It's a tad uncomfortable, but doesn't hurt. When he pulls out and pushes in again, I start to tingle all over.

"Oh" I moan out.

"God Bella. I never knew. I never even imagined." He whispers as he pumps in and out of me.

The knot in my belly is tightening and I feel like I'm going to explode.

"Are you close love?" he asks me.

"Yes" I rely breathless.

With one hard and deep thrust, I come apart around him, my core clenching and squeezing him as he releases. He roars out my name as he comes in spurts inside of me.

My heart is suddenly so full. I can't contain my love for him. I'm overwhelmed. I never knew it could be like this. I never knew that it was possible to love one person as much as I love him. It feels like our souls are tying themselves together. I can literally feel him in my heart. Tears leak out of my eyes as I try to catch my breath.

"Do you feel that?" Edward whispers to me from where his face is buried in my neck.

"Yeah" I whisper as tears stream down my face.

After a few minutes the feeling subsides and Edward lifts his head to look at my face.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, it was just a little overwhelming for a minute."

"That was the final part of our mating bond. It started the day I first laid eyes on you and just solidified the moment we became one."

"That was amazing." I whisper to him.

"Yeah it really was."

"I wasn't just talking about that Edward. Everything was amazing. Our first time was beautiful."

"I completely agree love." He tells me before he sits up and slides out of me. I let out a little whimper once he's gone. I feel empty.

He quickly comes back with a warm washcloth to clean me between my legs. It's intimate and special as I let him take care of me. Once he's done, he throws the washcloth into the bathroom and climbs into bed with me. He pulls me onto his chest in the same way that we always snuggle, only now it feels different. Like we are different people. More in love and more connected than we ever have been before. My eyes drift closed as he runs his fingertips up and down my naked arm lulling me to sleep.


	24. Chapter 22

BPOV

Warm sun on my bare back wakes me. The warmth is immediately counteracted by cool fingertips running along my spine. I'm laying face down on the bed, and I can feel the soft sheets against my bare breasts, so I must have fallen asleep naked.

Bliss, that is what I'm feeling right now. Whole. Complete. Ridiculously happy. Maybe if I just lay here for a while, nothing will change.

"I know you're awake, love." Edward's velvet voice says.

"Mmmm" I hum in reply.

Finally I get the motivation to open my eyes and look at Edward. The happiness in his eyes reflects how I feel.

When our eyes meet, he greets me with a big smile and I give him one of my own.

"Hi" I whisper timidly.

"Good morning"

"What time is it?" It feels like I got to sleep in a little bit.

"It's around 10, love. I didn't want to wake you. It is the weekend after all."

He is my perfect man. His thoughtfulness constantly surprises me.

"Thank you." I roll over onto my side so I can see him better. The sheet is laying across my stomach leaving my breasts on display. The funny thing is I'm not self-conscious. He is my mate. We are one, body, mind, and soul. The hand that was drawing patterns on my back now comes around and lays on my waist."

"No problem. There's something that I need to tell you." He tells me.

"Is something wrong?" I ask him worried. Did I do something last night? Was it not as good for him as it was for me? I thought we were on the same page, but he is a vampire after all; it probably felt differently for him.

"Bella" he says putting his hand on my face, "nothing is wrong. Everything is fine, more than fine actually. And last night was the best night of my existence. Never worry about that. I've never felt anything like what you gave me. It was perfect and beautiful. It was everything I wanted it to be and more."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Good. It was for me too." Wait a second. I didn't say that out loud. How did he know that's what I was worried about? Oh no. My horrified face meets his beaming one.

"That's right, love. After you fell asleep I was able to see your dreams. I can hear your thoughts. I didn't realize it until you were asleep and everything was quiet. It must be a part of the mating connection. We are completely bonded; body, mind, and soul."

I just stare at him shocked. I don't know how I feel. I always liked that he couldn't read my mind. I was a safe haven for him when the voices became too much. I also kind of liked having my thoughts to myself.

"Don't worry, love, I won't invade your privacy. I will try not to focus on your thoughts unless you specifically ask me to. It will be difficult but I will get used to it. I would never want to make you uncomfortable. And don't ever think that this is anything but a gift. I love hearing your thoughts. Your mind has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard."

"Okay" I tell him still in shock.

"So how are you feeling? Are you sore?" he changes the subject.

Stretching and moving my limbs, I take inventory of my body. My legs are a little stiff like I got a good workout. Well I guess I did. My face reddens at that thought. Edward grins at me and I ignore him. There's a little soreness between my legs but it's not bad at all.

"I'm okay. I barely feel anything. It feels a little like I went to the gym, but not bad. How are you?"

"How am I?" He says like he's pondering. "I am the happiest man on earth right now. Possibly the happiest man in history."

"Well good." I tell him cheekily and he smiles at me.

"Yeah. Are you hungry? Do you want to get some breakfast? Esme probably bought every breakfast food in the store."

"Actually there's something else that I want." I tell him and roll onto my back. Grabbing the sheet that is covering both of us, I tug on it. In one pull, it is on the floor and we are both wonderfully naked.

"Oh are you feeling needy this morning?" he asks me smirking.

"Definitely."

Planting my feet on the bed so that my knees are bent, I slowly let my legs fall apart. His nostrils flare and his eyes instantly turn black.

"You are a dangerous vixen, Isabella."

"What are you gonna do about it?"

He doesn't answer verbally but he does jump on me. He's kissing me like he's going to war and I moan into his mouth. I love the feeling of his smooth perfect skin rubbing against mine. Despite his cold temperature, everywhere he touches me bursts into flames. He doesn't waste any time and grabs my breasts in his hands. I moan again as he pulls and squeezes my nipples gently. Moving my kisses down to his neck, I take my time tomake sure I lick and kiss every inch of his neck and jaw. When I reach his ear, I suck his earlobe into my mouth and bite down on it experimentally. He hisses and bucks his hips into mine. His manhood is extremely prominent against my thigh and I can feel the liquid beading from the tip.

"God Bella. I need you, love." He murmurs into my neck.

"Than take me."

Shifting himself, he places himself at my soaked entrance and pushes inside. We both moan out loud.

"You feel so good, love. This is where I belong." He says before taking my nipple into his mouth.

He's thrusting into me and it's all I can do to keep from crying out.

"Don't hold back. I want to hear you. Yell for me. Show me what I do to you." He tells me and that's all I need.

"Yes, Jesus Edward. That feels so good." I yell out.

He grabs my hips and changes the angle slightly so that he bumps into a spot inside of me that makes me scream. He grins down at me and thrusts his hips into the spot again.

"Oh my god! Right there. Yes! Don't stop. Please don't stop."

"I won't Bella. Don't worry." He tells me as his thrusts get faster and harder. It feels so good.

"I'm going to come, love." He groans into my neck before he stills and trembles above me. I can feel him coming inside of me, and it's amazing. As soon as the first stream of cum hits me, I'm pulled into my own orgasm. I always thought that when my orgasm triggers his that he was getting the bad side of the deal, but I was wrong. This orgasm is just as strong if not stronger than any others I have felt. My body is spasming and trembling right along with his.

After a few minutes we have both calmed down. He is still inside me and on top of me with his face buried in my neck. My fingers are combing through his hair as my core spasms every now and then.

"That was incredible." He breathes.

"Yeah it was. Almost better than the first time."

Looking up at me with a wicked grin he agrees.

We lay in bed for about a half hour before my stomach starts growling. He laughs and jumps up throwing on some boxers.

"Come on love. Let's go feed that monster."

Taking his outstretched hand, I stand up. My legs feel like jelly and I have to work to regain my balance.

"Actually why don't you stay here and I'll bring something up to you."

"Okay" I tell him. Any excuse to not have to go up and down all of those stairs.

"I'll be back in a minute" he kisses me quickly and runs out the door.

I barely have time to throw on one of my new camisole sets before he's back with a tray.

"That's nice. Is it new too?" he asks eyeing my silk shorts and tank top.

"Yeah. I think Alice bought me a year's worth of lingerie."

"I'll definitely have to buy her a present." He mumbles under his breath.

I take my seat on the bed next to him and dig into my breakfast. It's just cereal and toast, but that's okay. I think if he tried to cook anything else, he might burn down the house.

Once I'm finished he takes my tray downstairs to take care of my dishes.

"Edward I'm going to get in the shower." I yell down to him before stripping and stepping into his massive shower. It takes me a few minutes to get the water how I want it, but once I do it's amazing.

I'm shampooing my hair when I feel cold hands join mine.

"I'm sorry love, I couldn't wait on you. All it took was imagining your gorgeous body all wet and soapy, and my legs were carrying me here before my brain caught up."

"It's fine." I tell him turning around to face him. "Can I wash your hair? I've always wanted to."

"Of course." He tells me and hands me his shampoo. I raise my eyebrow at him in question. "I like to keep shampoo and soap for me in here even though I don't have to shower regularly. Sometimes a hunt gets messy and I need soap to clean up." Nodding in understanding, I pour some shampoo into my hands and lift them to his hair. He bends down some to make it easier for my short arms.

"Can I wash your body, love?" He asks me as I massage his scalp.

"Of course" I tell him, echoing his words from earlier. He smiles and grabs my body wash. Pouring some into his hands, he lathers them up and then begins to wash my body. Apparently he thinks my breasts are very dirty because he spends a massive amount of time washing them. Once he rinses his hair, he has me turn around so he can wash my back. His hands spend a lot of time on my bottom as well until he reaches between my legs to softly wash me there too. It's extremely intimate. Once he deems me clean, he takes the shower head off the wall and rinses my body and hair. I grab for the conditioner that I brought in with me, if I don't put it on, my hair will be impossible to brush later. As I'm lathering it up and spreading it on my hair, I feel Edward stand behind me and press his body into mine. His arms come around me and his hands go straight to my breasts.

"Your body is magnificent, my Bella. I'll never get enough of looking at you and exploring you." He tells me as he rains kisses along my shoulder and neck.

I don't know what to say, so I don't say anything. I just wrap my arms backwards around his neck and run my fingers through his hair.

We stand like that for a while until I need to rinse my hair. He helps me comb it out under the water before shutting the water off and helping me out. I wrap a towel around my head like I always do and go to grab another for my body. A white hand shoots out in front of mine and grabs the towel instead. Edward smiles as he unfolds it and gently starts drying my body. Again my breasts must be very wet because he spends a lot of time concentrating on them. Once my top half is dry, he drops to his knees in front of me to dry my bottom half. Gently he runs the towel between my legs before dropping it on the floor.

Looking up at me with dark eyes he says "I believe I made you a promise about being on my knees in front of you."

I can't speak or breathe so I just nod.

"Mmmm I thought so." He says before placing a kiss right above my pubic hair. Gently he pushes my legs farther apart and runs his fingers along my slit.

"You're wet for me already, love. I love that you're always ready for me." He tells me.

Using his fingers to hold my folds open, he dives in with his tongue.

He's licking all over my slit making sure to get all of my juices. Then he zeroes in on my clit. He licks it over and over making my body enflame each time. Flattening his tongue he licks all along my slit before pushing one finger into my core. He concentrates on my clit with his mouth as he curls his finger inside of me to hit my special spot. With his other hand he holds my hips steady and I writhe against him. I'm surprised I can even stand up at this point. I bury my fingers into his hair and thank god that he doesn't need to breathe. Before long he starts purring again and it's amazing. When he sucks my clit into his mouth I lose it.

"Oh god Edward" I yell as I come all over his face. I'm pulling so hard on his hair that if he were human it would have come out in my hands.

He continues licking everything I have to give him before pulling his finger out and sucking it into his mouth.

"Jesus Christ you're going to kill me." I pant out and he grins widely at me.

"Pizza's here" I yell to Edward when the doorbell rings. Then I remember that he would have heard me if I whispered and he obviously heard the doorbell too. Heck he probably heard the pizza guy's thoughts as soon as he turned into the driveway. I really will have to get used to living with a vampire.

I'm starving so I don't bother waiting on him to get done on the computer before I run to the door. I've been downstairs pretending to read my book while I've actually been watching for the pizza delivery guy. Edward had something he had to do on the computer upstairs, so I picked a book out of Carlisle's study and came downstairs to the couch. It's perfect to read on, not too hard and not too soft.

When I look out of the peephole in the front door, Tyler Crowley is standing on the front porch. I didn't know he worked at the one pizza place in town.

"Hey Tyler" I greet him after opening the door. I want to grab the pizza out of his hands, but I guess that would considered rude.

"Umm hey…hey Bella." He stammers out.

"I didn't know you delivered pizza." I tell him when what I really want to say is _Give me my pizza before I bite you._

"Yeah I just started at the beginning of the school year. Just part time you know." He says but he won't look me in the eyes.

I must have something on my shirt. Looking down I realize that I'm wearing my camisole shorts set from this morning. Right as I remember what I'm wearing, I feel a strong hand on my hip.

"Hello Tyler. Here you go." Edward says very seriously as he pushes me behind him and hands Tyler the money with his other hand.

"Um yeah hey Edward. I didn't know you lived here." Tyler says awkwardly. Edward doesn't answer him, he just stares at him. I can't see his face but I can only imagine the glare he's giving Tyler.

"Oh so here you go." Tyler says handing Edward the pizza like he just remembered why he was here.

"Thank you. Keep the change." Edward says and shuts the door on Tyler's shocked face.

"Edward you just gave him a $90 tip." I screech at him.

"Well I wasn't going to stand there while he tried to count my change but really he is thinking about your breasts the whole time." He says. He's angry. He's never been mad at me before.

"I'm sorry I forgot what I was wearing before I answered the door. I was just hungry and wanted my pizza."

"You should have waited for me to answer the door. What if it was a murderer or someone who wanted to hurt you? You should never answer the door alone."

"Edward I looked through the peep hole before I answered it. I knew it wasn't someone who would hurt me."

"Yeah just someone who would stare at you like you are a piece of meat." He huffs at me.

"I told you, I forgot what I was wearing. I'm sorry." I tell him. His face is completely blank and his eyes are full of anger. He's never looked at me this way before. He's so mad that I can feel it. Tears hit my eyes and before I can stop them, they are rolling down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I really did forget." I blubber out. I can't see anything because the tears are coming faster, but after a few seconds, I feel his arms around me.

"It's okay Bella. I shouldn't have gotten so mad. I just…if you could hear what he was thinking. It was horrible." He tells me. His voice is a lot calmer and softer than it was just a minute ago.

"I know. I'm sorry. I really am" I blubber into his chest.

"It's okay, love. Calm down. You're going to make yourself sick. I'm sorry I got so mad."

"I understand. I would have done the same thing."

"Shhh it's okay." He whispers to me rubbing my back gently.

After a minute or so my tears start to slow and I finally get my breathing under control.

"Are you okay?" he asks me using his finger to tip my chin up so he can look in my eyes.

"Yeah I'm sorry. I've never seen you mad like that before, especially not at me. I don't ever want to make you feel like that again."

"I know. I'm sorry. I overreacted. I know you didn't do it on purpose. I knew it before you even said it. I just can't handle hearing what he was thinking about you."

"I know" I whisper and he hugs me to him again.

"So that was our first fight." He says after a few minutes.

"Yeah I guess it was. I didn't care for it." I tell him honestly.

"Me neither. Come on you need to eat." He says grabbing my pizza from where he must have dropped it onto the end table.

We decide to take the pizza up to his room and watch a couple movies before I go to sleep.

I finish 3 pieces of pizza before my stomach feels like it's ready to explode. Edward takes the rest downstairs and in less than a second was back in bed with me.

Around the middle of our second movie, Edward bends down to kiss me and it quickly heats up. Our tongues tangle and our hands are all over each other. Before I know it, we're both naked. _Did Edward rip our clothes?_ Grabbing my thigh, Edward hitches my leg up so that I'm straddling him and I no longer care about our clothes. The moment my core hits his manhood, I flinch. He immediately freezes.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he asks me as he runs his hands all over my body.

"I'm okay. I'm just a little sore down there. I didn't realize it until you touched me."

"I'm sorry love. I've moved too fast. We've already had sex twice in less than 24 hours plus I've had my fingers inside of you. I should have given you time to rest." He says berating himself.

"No Edward it's fine. I've loved everything that we've done, I just think I need the night to rest."

"Okay. I will grab you some Tylenol. That should help with the pain." He says and he's gone before I can respond. In less than a second he's back with a bottle of water and a bottle of pills. Handing me two pills and the water, I take them and lay back down.

"Come lay with me?" I ask him.

"Of course." He says as he climbs into bed.

Reaching beside the bed, I grab the first thing I find, which is his t-shirt, and go to pull it on.

"Please don't." he croaks out, almost involuntarily.

"What?" I ask staring at the t shirt in my hands. "Oh I'm sorry. I can grab one of my shirts out of my suitcase if you don't want me to wear yours."

"No love. You can have anything of mine that you want. I was just wondering if you would consider not getting dressed. I would like to feel your skin on mine tonight. Only if you're comfortable with that of course." He finishes shyly.

Throwing the t shirt on the floor, I cuddle up on his chest again.

"Of course Edward. You don't have to be afraid of asking me things like that. You have to tell me what you like so that I know."

"Well if you're going to respond this eagerly, than I definitely will." He says and then winks at me. I just roll my eyes and face the TV again.

I don't know what time it is, but the movie isn't even over before I find myself falling asleep on Edward's chest.


	25. Chapter 23

EPOV

I've been standing at the foot of the bed for about ten minutes just watching my Bella sleep. She's so beautiful. Her glorious body is unhindered by clothes and the sheet is draped across her waist in a tempting way. She's on her side with her arms curled in front of her and her knees pulled up. Her entire back is visible and the sheet drapes over her backside giving me peeks of her beautiful skin. Her breasts are covered by her arms, but I can see her entire stomach. The sun is shining through the windows bouncing off of her porcelain skin making her look like the angel she is.

I have been able to read minds for over a hundred years. I've heard the thoughts of mated vampires, married humans, single humans, and single vampires, but I never knew that I could love someone this much. I didn't know that it would feel like this, like I'm only complete when I'm with her. She is my heart and soul. I feel like I'm missing a limb when I'm not around her…actually that's not completely accurate; a person can live without all of their limbs, I couldn't live without her. Being without her is like being without my heart.

Climbing into bed with her, I smile when she unconsciously reaches out for me. I reach over and pull her into my arms and sigh as we make contact. She really is my heaven. My hands are combing through her hair as I start placing light kisses all over her face: on her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, the dimple in her chin, the freckles on her nose, and finally her lips. She sighs into my mouth when I make contact with her lips, and I know she's awake.

"Good morning sweetheart" I whisper to her after I pull away from her tempting mouth.

"Mmmm good morning indeed" she says and smiles.

"I'm going to go downstairs and get breakfast started, I thought you might like a shower before you eat."

"Mmmhmm thanks." She mumbles and I grin at her. She's too adorable when she's sleepy.

"Okay sleepyhead, I'll see you when you're done." I tell her before kissing her forehead and getting out of bed.

I'll be the first to admit that I am pretty hopeless in the kitchen. I was a kid when I was turned and we always had a cook in our house. Once I became a vampire, I had no desire to learn to cook. Why would I? So now it's another thing that I'm experiencing with my Bella.

As I'm looking through one of Esme's cookbooks, I hear the shower turn on and I smile. My love must have pried herself out of bed. The sounds of her washing her body are luring me in so I quickly force myself to concentrate on the book in front of me.

Pancakes. That sounds easy enough. I'll mix the batter and Bella can help me cook them.

After gathering all of the ingredients, I start putting them into the large mixing bowl I have placed on the counter. The flour goes in first, but when I dump it in it puffs everywhere. It looks like a snowstorm happened. The baking powder, salt, and sugar are a little easier and I manage to get them into the bowl with minimal spills. Next, I have to put the milk, butter, and an egg in a separate bowl and mix those together. The milk is pretty straight forward as is the butter, but the egg causes me some problems. The first two eggs that I try, smash against the counter. I must be pressing too hard. The next one cracks like it's supposed to but when I go to dump it into the bowl, the shell goes in too. After digging the shell out, I try again. This time I manage to get it just right and I thrust my fist in the air in triumph. As I do, I hear giggling behind me.

Turning around, my throat goes dry. There is my Bella and she's wearing one of my button up shirts and nothing else. Her hair is wet and curling around her shoulders, and her skin is shiny and pink from her shower. Her smile lights up her face and I vow to do anything in my power to keep that smile there.

"Are you having fun there babe?" she asks me with a smirk.

"Yes as a matter of fact, I am."

"Looked like it. So what are you doing?"

"I'm making breakfast for you." I tell her proudly.

"And what are you making?"

"I'm trying to make pancakes. I almost have the batter done. Will you help me make them?"

"Sure. It looks like you're doing a good job, although there's more flour on you than in the bowl." She says laughing.

"That's why I need your help love."

"Alright then let's get started, I'm starving."

After Bella eats her breakfast, which I helped make, I insist on doing the dishes. It was my idea to cook for her, so it's only fair that I clean up. Bella agrees and hops her cute little butt onto the counter to watch me.

Concentrating on the dishes is getting increasingly difficult as I think of the way my shirt was riding up her legs and the tantalizing peeks of skin between the buttons. Luckily I can move at vampire speed and get these dishes out of the way.

Once I'm done, I turn to Bella and stand between her bare legs. She locks her ankles behind my back and her hands into the hair at the base of my neck.

"Now Miss Swan, I think we have a problem."

"Oh yeah?" she asks with a smirk.

"Yes we do. I seems that you have taken possession of one of my shirts. That would be constituted as stealing in any country." I tell her putting my hands on her bare thighs.

"Hmmm well I know how to solve that." she says coyly. I love her playful side.

"And how's that?"

She doesn't answer, but I get her message loud and clear. Quickly, for a human, she reaches to the hem of the shirt and whips it over her head leaving her completely naked. A growl tears out of my throat and my arms tighten around her waist.

"Hang on tight." I growl out to her before hoisting her into my arms and running to my room. Her legs around my waist is sweet torture and I can feel her heat through the fabric of my sleep pants.

We don't even make it to the bed. When we get into my room, I pin her body against my closed bedroom door and rip my pants off. I didn't have a shirt or underwear on so now we are even. I look into her eyes in question before doing anything else. I know she was sore last night, and I would never want to take her without her permission first. She smiles softly and cups my cheek in her hand before nodding at me to continue.

The heat and intensity that was there a minute ago is still there, but the urgency isn't. I want to take my time and savor my mate. Picking her up again I move to the bed. I want to watch her this time so I lay on my back and position her above me.

"Um Edward I don't know how to do it this way." She says shyly while her cheeks redden.

"That's okay love. Just do what comes naturally. I'll help guide you." I tell her and she nods.

I lift her hips up so that my member can slide between her wet folds and let her go from there. She rubs herself on me a few times, covering my shaft in her juices. She's looking at me with intense eyes and I know that she's marking me. I love it. Finally she sinks down onto me and I'm in heaven. I will never get used to the feeling of being inside of my love. She feels so good, she's wet, and hot and tight, but it's more than just physical. We are both incomplete creatures, two halves of a whole, but when our bodies come together, we are one being. It's the most incredible feeling and I hope it stays like this forever.

"God love you're killing me" I moan to her as she slowly slides up and down my shaft, her core squeezing me as she goes. She just smirks at me and keeps going. If I was going to die, this is the way I would want to go. She is gorgeous as she sits on top of me. Her back arched and head thrown back accentuating her neck and perfect breasts. I can't help myself as I sit up and take one into my mouth. Mmmm strawberries and cream, pure Bella. I moan out around her nipple. This woman is perfect for me. If someone had asked me 50 years ago to describe my perfect woman physically, it would have been Bella down to a T. Her long brown hair and her big doe eyes. Her cute nose and luscious lips. Her thin neck which leads down to her petite shoulders. Her breasts which are a little big for her frame but fit into my hands perfectly. Her thin waist which leads to her womanly hips and her round behind. And finally her long legs that go on forever ending in her cute little feet. Everything about her attracts me. Leaning back down so that I can watch her some more, I'm struck once again with how lucky I am to have her.

Her eyes are closed in rapture as she moves faster and faster on top of me. I love that she's using me to gain her pleasure. One of her hands, moving purely on instinct, moves down to play with her clit as she grinds on me. Seeing that, I growl. Replacing her hand with mine, I rub just like she had been doing.

"You're mine. Your pleasure is mine." I growl out at her but not in anger, just in need to stake my claim.

 _Oh God yes. I'm yours. Every orgasm is yours. You are the only one who can make me feel like this._

She directs her thoughts directly to me as she's too far gone in pleasure to speak in coherent sentences. Her core is clenching and spasming around me and I know she's close. So am I.

"Yes Edward" she yells out stilling above me as her core clenches my shaft over and over. It's like she's milking me for my orgasm. It takes less than a second for my body to respond and come inside of her.

She lets herself fall limp onto my chest, her breasts pressed against my skin and her hot breath on my neck. Her core is clenching around me and I can't find the breath to speak, so I don't.

After a few minutes, Bella picks her head up and smiles at me.

"Wow" she simply says.

"Yeah" I breath back to her. I can't form a coherent sentence when my length is still inside of her.

Our moment is broken by my cell phone ringing from the bedside table. Bella lifts herself off of me causing me to groan and her to whimper before she hands me my phone.

"Hello"

 _Hey, listen I just wanted you to know that the family will be home in about an hour. I thought you might want to tell Bella so you can both get cleaned up. I don't want her to be embarrassed._

"Okay thank you Alice."

 _No problem. See you soon._

She doesn't bother saying goodbye before hanging up.

"That was Alice." I tell Bella as she looks at me curiously, "She wanted us to know that they will be back in an hour so we need to get dressed."

Bella groans and throws a pillow over her head.

"At eens eee aw at e id." She says. I have no idea what she said so I concentrate on her thoughts.

 _Oh my gosh! How embarrassing! Alice saw us every time this weekend. That's just weird. Not to mention that Edward is her brother and she probably saw him naked._

"Don't worry, love. Alice tends to not look too hard at visions like that so that she doesn't see what she doesn't want to. Besides, if she did she wouldn't tell anyone. She's very discreet. Just as I wouldn't tell anyone what I hear in one mate's thoughts about another. We can't change that we have gifts, but we don't have to completely invade the privacy of others." I tell her and pull the pillow away from her face.

"Okay" she huffs.

"Now come one. Get your cute little behind out of bed and let's get dressed."

Grumbling she climbs out of bed and heads to her suitcase. I'm not sorry that I ogle her as she walks away from me. When she bends over to dig through her clothes, I groan and run into my closet to find clothes of my own. Settling on a dark grey henley and light wash jeans, I dress quickly.

When I get back into my room, Bella is just in her bra and panties. They are turquoise with lace ruffles all over them, feminine and sexy as hell.

"Don't look at me that way." She says breaking out of my ogling. "We don't have time for another round before your family gets here."

Walking up behind her, I put my arms around her waist and bury my face in her neck. She always smells so good, but now she smells even better because she smells like us.

"I know love. It's just… oh god… I can smell myself in you. It's amazing." I tell her while running my nose up and down the length of her neck. She shivers and I smile at the effect that I have on her.

"Edward please" she whispers. I know we can't do anything before my family gets here and I don't want to tease her so I just place a kiss at the spot where her shoulder meets her neck and step back.

"Okay love. I'm sorry. You're just irresistible." I tell her as her breathing returns to normal.

"It's okay."

She chooses a pink and black flannel shirt that she layers over a black tank top and dark wash blue jeans. Her hair is a mess because it was wet when we made love. It looks like a rats nest. She brushes out the tangles and pulls it into a bun on the top of her head leaving her delectable neck showing. After a little deodorant, and putting on the necklace that she wears everyday, she's ready.

"You look beautiful." I tell her as she comes to sit next to me on the bed. "Bella, will you tell me about your necklace? I rarely see you without it."

She fingers the locket when I mention it and smiles.

"It was a birthday gift from my dad. It's a locket and on the inside has a picture of me with my mom and dad." She tells me as she opens it and shows me the picture. Bella is young in the picture and you can see the joy in her eyes. She is between her parents and her head is thrown back in laughter. Her parents are looking at her adoringly. It's a beautiful moment.

"That's really beautiful love. I'm glad that you have it." I tell her honestly.

"Yeah usually my dad is horrible at picking out presents for me, but this was one time that he absolutely nailed it. I suspect he had some help from the girl at the jewelry store." She tells me smiling fondly and I chuckle at her.

 _Man I can't wait to meet Bella. She's going to be the coolest little sister._ Emmett's thoughts break through our moment and I laugh at them.

 _Sorry Edward, I know we're early but I saw that it would be okay. I couldn't hold Emmett back any longer._ I hear Alice say through her thoughts.

"Love, the family will be here in just a few minutes."

"They're early" she says nervously.

"Apparently they couldn't hold Emmett back any longer. He is dying to meet you."

Her face pales and she looks even more nervous.

"Bella it will be fine. They will love you, just like the rest of my family does." I tell her honestly and she just nods at me.

"Come on" I offer her my hand, "Let's go downstairs and get settled before they get here."

After she takes my hand, we head downstairs.

When I sit in the chair alone, she looks at me confused before timidly going over to the couch alone.

"No love, come here." I tell her and open my arms. She takes her place on my lap hesitantly so I grab her hips and pull her to me. Her legs are to one side and her bottom is to the other so she is sitting sideways. There's more than enough room in this massive chair for the two of us. Plus, it will help ease her nerves if we can be touching the entire time.

The door bangs open making Bella jump in my arms, and I curse Emmett under my breath.

Surprisingly he runs into the room at a human pace. I know it's so that he doesn't scare Bella. At least he has some brains. Although I would never tell him that.

"Hello Bella. Emmett McCarty Cullen at your service." He says before doing a dramatic bow making Bella giggle.

"Hi Emmett. It's nice to meet you."

"You too baby B. I'm glad Edward finally found someone to knock that stick out of his butt." He says and I growl at him.

 _You know I'm just kidding bro. I'm really happy for you. Really. She's a beautiful woman._

I just nod at him in agreement. By now the whole family is sitting in the living room watching our exchange.

"Hello Bella. I'm Rosalie. I'm married to this goofball" she says elbowing Emmett in the arm which he then rubs with his hand while scowling at her. "I think we may have met once in school, but it's nice to meet you officially as Edward's mate."

 _She really is beautiful, Edward. I'm happy for you._

"Thank you Rose." I tell her sincerely. I know it is hard whenever there is the prospect of another vampire being made, especially a woman, but she would never stand in the way of mates.

"Hello again, Bella" Carlisle says from his seat next to Esme. "Have you eaten? I hope Edward took good care of you this weekend."

Bella blushes at that statement, and I can tell that Emmett is about to explode. I raise my eyebrow at him and he quickly calms down. Even he knows better than to joke about a couple's mating, especially when it is fairly new.

"Yes he was very attentive." Bella says, "He even helped me cook breakfast today."

"How did that go?" Esme snorts and I look at her in shock. "I love you dear, but honestly you can't cook at all." She tells me in a gentle voice making everyone in the room except me burst out laughing. I'm momentarily struck by how natural it feels to see Bella laughing with my family. I'm looking at her adoringly when she says, "He did fine Esme. He just made a little bit of a mess."

Bella smirks at me and I knock her with my shoulder making her burst out in giggles.

"Guess what everyone!" Alice yells out. "There's a storm coming. You know what that means."

"Heck yeah! Football!" Emmett yells and runs upstairs to get his jersey and the football. We like to play a small game of tackle football whenever there's a storm. Our family has a special football that is double layered on the outside making it harder to pop in our hands. It still happens but that's just another challenge of the game. If your team pops the ball, the other team gets a point. Emmett is almost always the one who pops the ball because he gets too excited.

"I'll sit out with Bella." Rosalie says. "I just got my nails done and don't want them to get destroyed."

"Alright everyone be in the backyard in five minutes." Alice says before she runs upstairs.

Leaning down to Bella's ear, I whisper, "Alice and Emmett like to go all out when we play football including outfits and face paint. Jasper sometimes gets pulled in, but the rest of us refuse."

"Do you guys play often?" She asks.

"Sometimes" I shrug my shoulders "We have to wait until a storm. You'll see why."

Picking her up in my arms, we head out back. Esme is already out there setting up chairs for Bella and Rosalie to sit in so they have a good view of the yard.

Alice and Emmett come down with their mates. They are each donned in their football jerseys, shorts, and black stripes along their cheek bones.

"Okay so we need to divide the teams." Carlisle says. He's changed into jeans and a t shirt.

"Shirts and skins!" Emmett yells.

"Emmett I don't think-"

"Oh come on old man" Emmett whines interrupting Carlisle.

"Okay then the girls have to be on the same team." Carlisle says. "And Edward can't be on the same team as Alice. So we'll put Jasper and Edward on one team. Emmett can be with the girls and I will play with Edward and Jasper."

"We try not to put mates on the same team." I whisper into Bella's ear.

"Awww why do I always have to be on the girls' team?" Emmett whines and I laugh under my breath.

Carlisle doesn't answer him, he just smirks and heads to the other side of the yard. Jasper and I follow him and the three of us take our shirts off.

"Alright Edward you cover Alice, I'll cover Emmett and Jasper can cover Esme." Carlisle tells us in our huddle and we all agree. Getting in formation on our side of the field we wait for the "throw off" (we can't kick the ball off. The last time we did that, Emmett kicked off and we had to go two towns over to get what was left of the ball.)

"Alright everyone. I'm the ref since I'm not playing. When I blow the whistle the game is on. Emmett you throw the ball to the receiving team." Rosalie says.

The whistle blows and the game begins.

BPOV

I almost fell out of my chair when Edward ripped off his shirt. They're going to play football shirtless?! I think I might pass out.

"It's nice view isn't it?" Rosalie asks from next to me.

"Yeah" I stammer out.

"I love it when Emmett is on the skins team. There's nothing better than watching your man get down and dirty while being half naked." She says wistfully and I laugh as I agree with her.

Seeing Carlisle without his shirt on is definitely weird. I'm used to seeing him as a distinguished doctor but out there half naked with his tousled hair in his face, he looks young.

I know a little bit about football from watching it on TV with my dad, but this game is completely different. First of all they don't kick off to each other, they throw it. I heard some rumblings here and there about Emmett kicking it into the next town. Also the ball is heavier. Emmett let me feel it when he got out to the yard. It has two linings on it so that it's harder for them to pop it. The main difference though is that they don't have pads on. I guess as a vampire they wouldn't need them, but it's still weird.

The game starts and Emmett "throws off" to Edward who catches it and immediately starts to run. He's about half way to the end zone when Alice slams into him knocking both of them to the ground. There's a giant cracking sound like thunder and I want to cover my ears.

"Now I see why you need the thunder" I tell Rosalie and she laughs.

Edward gets up and dusts himself off and the next play begins.

After about a half hour, the game is 6 to 5 in favor of Emmett's team, with each touchdown being worth one point. They have declared this to be the last quarter and Emmett's team has already had the ball. It all comes down to this. Emmett "throws off" but this time Jasper catches it. He begins down the field only making it a few yards before Emmett clotheslines him. They get up laughing and shoving each other before setting up for the next play.

On fourth down, they change it up. Carlisle has been the quarterback for Edward's team the whole game, but this time when he gets the ball, he hands it off to Edward who drops back to throw it. Carlisle runs and is in the end zone when Edward releases the pass to him. It's a perfect pass and headed right towards Carlisle. Right before the ball reaches him, Carlisle is plowed down by a blurry mass. When they hit the ground, I see that it was Esme who took him out. My jaw drops to my chest. I can't believe little Esme did that. She has played the whole game but she has mostly been catching the ball. None of the boys are brave enough to tackle her hard so they always go easy on her. Everyone is silent for a minute before Emmett starts yelling.

"WE WON! WE WON!" he runs over to us and picks Rosalie up and spins her around. "WE WON ROSIE!" he yells as she laughs.

Edward comes over to me smirking.

"Well how did you like your first Cullen family football game?"

Looking over to my left, I see Esme and Carlisle laying in the end zone. He has her pinned down and is tickling her. To my right Alice is riding around on Emmett's back as he runs around the yard yelling. Jasper is standing by watching his mate with a look of adoration on his face and Rosalie is laughing and shaking her head at Emmett.

Looking at Edward, I say "I can't wait until I can play"


	26. C&E Outtake

ESPOV

"WE WON! WE WON!" my son is yelling while running around the field.

I'm laying on top of Carlisle with my head on his bare stomach, giggling. When I tackled him, I lowered my shoulder and took him around the waist, so this is how we ended up. I know none of the others expected me to do that, but that's what made it fun.

"Are you okay, Carlie?" I ask him while smiling up at him.

He smirks at me and leans up on his elbows.

"You're asking if I'm okay after you tried to kill me?" he asks me.

"I didn't try to kill you" I huff at him "I just didn't want you to catch the ball."

"Hmmm well that's not what it seemed like to me." He says "It seemed like you were trying to take me out. That was a game winning pass you know."

"Yeah but we both know you wouldn't have caught it anyway." I tell him with a smirk.

"Oh is that so?"

Before I know it, I'm on my back with him over me tickling my sides. As a vampire, all of our senses are heightened including touch, so it is particularly easy to tickle us. Carlisle knows my body better than I do, so of course he knows right where to get me.

"Okay okay I give." I pant out.

"Are you sure, Ez?" he asks me. "You were pretty confident earlier."

"I'm sure. You are the best football player in the family. There is no doubt that you would have caught that ball…if you hadn't been taken out by your wife who's half your size."

"That's it" he says lifting my shirt a little to blow raspberries on my stomach.

"Carlie….stop" I pant out between my laughs.

His eyes turn serious as he lays his chin on my bare belly and looks up at me.

"I love you, Ez" he says quietly.

Using my fingers, I comb his hair back off of his forehead and then cup his cheek.

"I love you too sweetheart."

We rarely get to be like this, like kids. In actuality we are only in our twenties, but we have been alive so long that we tend to take on older roles. Plus we have six children that need looked after. It's nice to let loose and be ourselves.

Running my fingers through Carlisle's hair, I'm momentarily distracted by his bare skin. He really has the most beautiful body. Lightly I run my fingertips across his bare shoulders and back. His eyes close and he purrs at the contact. The touch of his face on my belly makes my breath hitch and my eyes close. Even after all these years, our mates' touch is incomparable to anything else.

"Get a room" Emmett yells out and Carlisle's eyes shoot open.

He smiles and stands pulling me with him. It's so easy to get caught up in our own little world and forget that others are even here. Maybe if we had Edward's gift it would be more difficult to lose ourselves, but maybe not. I don't think anything could ever distract me from my mate. He is my reason for living. He is my other half. He saved me when I needed him the most. He pulled me out of the darkness and breathed life into me. He taught me what a husband should be, what a lover could be. He has given me everything that I didn't even know I wanted. At first the amount of love I have for him was overwhelming and sometimes it still is, but mostly it just feels…right. I was born to love him.

Laying my head on his chest and looking at our children, my heart clenches a little. Three couples. Three pairs of mates. I'm so thankful that they have all found each other. Our family is complete.


	27. Chapter 24

BPOV

I swear the clock is moving backwards. I'm sitting in Government class, my last class of the day, and time could not be going any slower.

It feels so weird to be back in school after this weekend. I feel like a completely new person, but here I am doing the same things that I've always done. This weekend I bonded and mated with a vampire. I was treated as an adult and participated in life-altering situations. Now I'm stuck in this torture chamber where I have to ask permission to go to the restroom.

When the bell rings, I'm out the door before anyone else is even out of their seats. Edward is leaning against my locker waiting for me and his face lights up when he sees me. I launch myself into his arms and am barely able to stop myself from wrapping my legs around his waist. He catches me easily and takes a deep inhale of my scent.

"Well hello there." Edward says in my ear chuckling softly.

"Hi" I whisper back.

"You ready to go, love?"

"Yeah just let me put my bag in my locker. I don't have any homework and I don't want to lug it back and forth." I tell him.

I let go of his neck reluctantly and hurry to put my bag away.

"Alright let's go." I say and he grabs my hand and leads me out to the Volvo.

Alice and Jasper are already there waiting on us when we get to the parking lot, so we all hop in. When we pull in the Cullens' driveway, Alice and Jasper jump out of the car and run into the house. Turning to Edward, I reconsider staying here with his whole family.

"Edward do you want to go back to my house? My dad won't be home for awhile." I tell him.

"Sure, love, that sounds great."

As he puts the car in reverse, he grabs my hand. I can feel his excitement and intensity. I know it's been hard for him today to be around everyone at school, including boys who were thinking about me. It's been difficult for me to come out of our weekend bubble too.

Edward squeezes my hand like he's agreeing with my thoughts but doesn't say anything.

When we get to my house we walk hand in hand to my room and lay together on my bed. I'm nestled on his chest like always and my hands are on his stomach under his shirt so that I can touch his skin. His fingers are dancing up and down my arms tickling me and raising goosebumps on my skin. We don't say anything, e don't need to, our bodies have their own form of communication.

"I love you, Bella. Everyday I think it's impossible for me to love you more, but then I do. You amaze me." He whispers to me and my heart skips a beat.

"I love you too, Edward. So much." I tell him.

I love these moments between us, quiet and intimate.

"Me too, love" Edward says answering my thoughts.

I was upset when I first learned that he could read my mind, but now I kind of like it. I don't have to talk for him to know what I'm thinking, and I'm never misunderstood because he knows my exact motivation before I even open my mouth.

"I'm glad to hear that sweetheart. I was worried when it first happened that you would be upset. I would never want to upset you, but I am ecstatic that I can read your thoughts. You have a lovely mind."

"Mmm" I hum in reply.

"So what time is your dad going to be home?" he asks me after a few minutes.

"Probably around six, like normal. Why?"

"Well I have a few ideas about how we can use our time."

Catching up quickly to his train of thought, I decide to play coy.

"Hmmm and what would that be?" I ask him innocently with big eyes.

He growls and rolls on top of me.

"Oh you'll find out." He growls into my ear.

Mmm I love it when Edward takes charge.

Laying naked in Edward's arms, I can feel the electricity crackling between us. We just got done making love and it just gets better every time.

"I love you, Bella" Edward whispers in my ear.

"I love you too" I sigh.

"We should probably get up. Your dad will be home soon."

"Yeah I guess. I need to start dinner anyway."

When I sit up, his still-hard manhood slips out of me making me whimper. I hate it when we disconnect. When we're together in every way is the only time I feel complete.

"I know love. Me too." He tells me while running his fingertips all over my body.

Reaching down for my clothes that are tossed all over the room, Edward pouts. His sad face makes me giggle.

"I'm sorry sweetheart but I don't think it would go well if my dad came home and found us naked together."

"Yeah I suppose you're right. It's just a shame to cover your perfect body."

I just roll my eyes at him.

Once we're both dressed, we head down to the kitchen to make dinner. I'm just going to make cheeseburgers with all of the fixings, salad, and fries. I brought some cookies home from Edward's house this weekend so we can have that for dessert. Easy and simple.

"Edward will you make the salad? I think you're a pro now."

"Yeah sure love but I'll have to get my special gloves." He smirks at me.

I just laugh at him.

He takes out all of the vegetables for the salad and starts chopping them and putting them into the bowl I gave him. He's doing a pretty good job so I go back to frying the hamburgers on the stove.

"All done, love. The best salad you'll ever have." He tells me and waves his hands around the bowl like Vanna White.

"I'm sure it will be, babe. You can put it into the fridge until everything else is done. The fries have a little bit longer and the last of the burgers are frying."

"Okay just be careful, love. Maybe I should do it." He tells me with a worried face.

"Edward, I love you but I like to cook on my own." I tell him gently but seriously.

"Okay but if you change your mind, I'll be here."

"I'm sure you will." I grumble.

A few minutes later I'm talking the burgers off of the pan when Edward stiffens. He grabs me around the waist and holds me close to him while hissing and growling.

"Edward what's wrong? What happened?"

"I have to go love. I will be close the whole time but I have to go. I will explain later. Just…be careful." He tells me and kisses me quickly before he disappears.

What the heck is going on? Why would Edward leave if he thought I was in danger? What am I in danger from?

The door bangs open making me jump off of the floor in shock.

"Bells!" my dad yells out. It sounds like there's another set of footsteps behind him.

"Hey B I invited Billy and Jacob over for dinner. Is that okay?" he asks as he comes into the kitchen with the two men behind him. I've known Billy and Jacob my whole life. I don't see them very often but I did when Jacob and I were kids. Since I've come to live with my dad, Jacob has come over a few times with his dad. We talk when he's here but we aren't really friends.

The physical differences between Jacob then and now are staggering. He was always a baby faced kid with hair down to his waist who still had some baby fat on his body. Now his hair is short and he is completely ripped. He's wearing a cut off t shirt with jean shorts. His face which was always kind and open, is now callous and angular.

"That's fine dad. I'll just throw a couple more burgers on." I tell him as I take an involuntary step away from the men.

"Thanks Bells." My dad says before stepping behind Billy's wheelchair. "You ready for the game Billy?" he asks.

"You bet." Billy answers as my dad pushes him into the living room. "Nice to see you, Bella." He says as he goes by.

"You too, Billy." I tell him timidly.

"Come on Jake." Billy grunts out.

"That's okay. I'll just stay here, dad." Jacob answers. His face is very intense. His eyebrows are scrunched together and it looks like he's angry about something. I don't know what it could be that's bothering him, but he's starting to make me uncomfortable.

Billy doesn't answer, he just shrugs his shoulders and focuses on the game.

"Hey Bella." Jacob says sitting down at the table. He stretches his long legs out and props them in another chair.

"H-hi Jacob." I tell him taking another step back away from him.

"Do you need any help?"

"No thank you. I'm fine."

"So how is school? You're a senior right?"

"Yeah. School's good. I'm ready for it to be over though. Only about 7 more months."

"Yeah I bet. I was so glad when dad let me drop out of school and be homeschooled. I have too much stuff to do right now. Sam is pretty demanding."

"Who's Sam?" I ask confused.

"Sam Uley. He is the leader of my group…of friends. We spend a lot of time together." He tells me. He's being very odd and a little rude.

"Um okay." I reply awkwardly.

"So how are your friends? Weren't you close with Angela and Jessica? I see them down at the Rez every now and then when they go surfing."

"Yeah we're friends. We aren't as close as we used to be, though."

"Really? Who are you close with now?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. His voice is starting to sound harsh and he has a permanent scowl on his is his problem?

"Um I've recently gotten close with a girl named Alice. She's in my class and her brother just moved here. Her brother, Edward, and I are dating. We've been together for a few months."

"Alice and Edward? What's their last name? They sounds familiar."

"Um their last name is Cullen."

"You're dating a Cullen?" he asks and I hear him mumbling something like 'that explains the smell'

"Yes I am" I tell him confidently turning to the stove and flipping the hamburgers. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Of course I do!" he says loudly, "How well do you know those leeches?"

Leeches? Is that a coincidence? How much does _he_ know about them?

"I know everything about them Jacob. Edward and I have no secrets."

"Yeah" he snorts, "you might want to reconsider that Bella. I bet there is one big secret he has."

"Jacob, what is your problem?" I ask him. I'm mad now. How dare he? "Edward and I have no secrets at all."

"So you know?" he says as he stands up and moves closer to me. I try to step back, but the counter is behind me.

"I…I don't know what you mean Jacob." I stammer out.

"You do know." He says and his eyes darken with anger.

"Jacob what is wrong with you?"

"How can you be in a relationship with him Bella? He's a parasite."

"You don't know anything about him" I whisper-yell at him. I'm trying to keep my voice down so my dad doesn't hear although maybe it would be good if he did. If he came in here it would be an excuse for me to get away from Jacob.

"Bella did you…" he asks leaning towards me and flaring his nostrils. "Oh my god! You had sex with him! How could you do that? How could you let him defile your body like that? You're disgusting Bella."

I'm completely speechless. I can feel tears at the back of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Jutting out my chin, I look him dead in the eye and say "You don't know anything about this Jacob. Nothing. You need to mind your own business."

Taking the burgers off the stove, I turn it off and head to the living room.

"Dad, I don't feel very well. I'm going to head up to my room. Dinner is done. The salad is in the refrigerator and the burgers are on the counter. You might want to check on the fries in the oven, they will need taken out soon."

"Are you okay Bells? You don't look very good. Do you think you should go to the doctor?" he asks getting off the couch and coming over to me.

"No it's fine. I just need to go rest." I tell him as he checks my forehead for a fever.

"Okay well I'll take care of everything down here. Do you want me to bring you a plate later?"

"No it's fine. I just want to go to sleep. I'll feel better in the morning. Goodnight." I tell him and turn to go upstairs while he takes his seat back on the couch. Unfortunately I have to go through the kitchen to get to the staircase.

"Bella" Jacob calls to me as I enter the kitchen where he is still standing by the counter. His body is tense and his fists are even clenched.

"What Jacob?" I hiss at him.

"Tell your little boyfriend to remember the treaty. We'll be watching." He says ominously.

I can't find the breath to reply so I don't, I just glare at him and head to my room. I barely get the door shut behind me before I burst into tears. Falling forward, I expect to make contact with the floor, but instead cool hands catch me and pull me to a cold chest.

"Love it's okay. I heard what he said. Everything is going to be okay. Trust me." He tells me as he rubs his hands along my back.

"Edward he knows what you are." I hiccup into his chest.

"I know love but it's okay."

"Why did you leave? Why did you have to leave? I needed you." I cry harder into his chest.

I know it's not fair to put this on him. I shouldn't have said it, and I can almost hear his heart breaking.

"I'm so sorry love. I had to leave. Jacob is very sensitive right now. If I had stayed, he would have seen us together and that could have pushed him over the edge. I will do anything to keep you safe. Always. I'm so sorry I had to leave to make that happen. I promise you were never in danger. I was outside the whole time listening and watching."

"But I don't understand" I'm crying so hard that I can hardly breathe.

"I know sweetheart. I'll explain it all to you as soon as you calm down. You need to breathe."

It feels like a hand is locked around my throat and is squeezing. I can't catch my breath; I'm trying, but it's not working. My heart is pounding in my chest and feels like its going to explode. I pull my hands off of Edward's back and bring them to my chest to claw at my shirt. It feels like it's strangling me.

"Bella" I can barely hear Edward's voice even though he's speaking in my ear.

"Bella breathe love. Just try to slow your heart rate."

He doesn't understand. I can't. I whimper to him and he goes into action. He rips his shirt off before ripping my shirt and bra off in one motion. He spins me around and pulls my back to his chest.

"Feel me love. Feel my breaths. Try to focus on them and breathe with me. You can do this." He whispers in my ear. Having his bare skin touching mine is already helping my heart rate calm down. Closing my eyes, I focus on the feeling of his chest on my back. As he inhales it puffs forward and then goes down when he exhales. I do my best to focus directly on his breathing and try to match mine to his. With each breath it gets easier and eventually I'm breathing normally. There are still tears streaming down my face but my chest doesn't hurt anymore and I can breathe comfortably.

"There you go" Edward coos to me, "Is that better?"

I just nod at him as I continue to concentrate on my breathing.

Once I've fully calmed down, I turn so that I can face him and wrap my arms around him.

"Jesus Bella you scared me." He whimpers as he puts his forehead to mine and closes his eyes.

"Im sorry" I croak out.

"It's okay love. I'm just glad I got you calmed down. I don't know how we would explain it to Charlie if I had run downstairs with your unconscious body so we could take you to the hospital."

I huff a laugh.

"Yeah that probably wouldn't go over well."

"Definitely not. Come on let's go lay down so we can talk."

"Okay." I tell him. "Will you grab me a nightgown out of my drawer?" My dad is probably going to check on me at some point and I don't want to be naked.

He frowns but nods. I know he understands despite the fact that he would rather I be naked.

He chooses a plain black nightie that is short but really comfortable. It's one that I've had for a long time and it's my favorite. I love it because it's really soft and stretchy. He helps me take my pants off before slipping the nightgown over my head. I feel like a zombie as he dresses me carefully.

Once I'm dressed, he helps me lay down and pulls me onto his chest like always.

"Why are you so upset love?" he asks me. "Is it because he knows that I'm a vampire or is it something else? I can hear your thoughts but I still wish you would talk to me."

"It's just everything. Can't you get in trouble because he knows about you?"

"No love. I'll explain more in a few minutes, but they are supernatural creatures just like us. They know what we are instinctively. No one had to tell them." He tells me while running his fingers through my hair. "Now what else is bothering you?"

"He knew we had made love, Edward. He said you had defiled my body. How could he take something so beautiful and make it sound so disgusting? Why would he do that?" I cry to him.

"He said I was disgusting." I whisper almost inaudibly.

He growls deep in his chest. It's nothing like the erotic growls that he releases while we're being intimate.

"He's wrong love. He's the disgusting one. He has no right to talk about us making love at all, let alone pass judgement on it. Our physical relationship is the most pure and beautiful thing in the world. He doesn't understand and he doesn't need to. He could smell our scents mixed inside of you because he has enhanced senses, that's how he knew. He had no right to discuss it with you."

"Edward…what is Jacob?"

He sighs before answering me.

"The entire La Push tribe are descendants from wolves. They believe themselves to be werewolves but thats not technically what they are. There are real werewolves out there that change when there's a full moon and become senseless beasts. Their instinct is to hunt vampires. They are one of the other creatures on Earth that can hurt or destroy us. Jacob's tribe are shape shifters. They turn into a werewolf at will. When they get angry it can force them to phase, but with practice they can control it. They're instinct is also to kill vampires. We met them when we first came here several decades ago. Jacob's grandfather was the chief then and made a treaty with us. They saw that we weren't the human drinking monsters that they had come across before. As long as we stayed off of their land and continued to only hunt animals, they wouldn't attack us or tell any one what we truly are."

"Wow so Jacob is a werewolf."

"Sometimes." He says with a smirk.

"Why did he tell me to remind you about the treaty? What does that have to do with us being in a relationship?"

"Well the treaty is very specific to say that we can't bite a human. That means if I were to…bite and change you into a vampire, it would violate the treaty." He says hesitantly.

"Is..is that something that you want?" I ask him. I've always just assumed he would make me like him someday, but we've never really talked about it.

"The choice is purely yours to make, love. It is a big decision and not one to be taken lightly."

"But what would you think if I chose to be changed? Would you still want me if I was a vampire?"

"Of course I would Bella." He says shocked. "I will always want you. I just can't ask you to give up your life and family for me. I want nothing more than to have you for all eternity, but it would be the most selfish thing I'd ever do."

"Edward it isn't selfish of you to want me forever. I want that too. I will want to be human for a little while so that I can spend some more time with my dad, but I definitely want to be turned. I have from the moment I first saw you."

"If that's what you want, love, I have no objections, but if you change your mind that is okay too. You have to do what is right for you. It will be very difficult to give up your family and all of your human friends."

"Yes it will be hard, but it would be impossible to give you up. When I think about losing you, I physically ache. I can't live without you and I know you feel the same about me. There's never been a doubt in my mind that when the time came you would change me."

"Okay." He says simply. "We'll need to talk to Carlisle and discuss the timing and also the circumstances to which its done. We will probably have to fake your death but maybe if we went off to a far away college, you could email your dad and talk on the phone. That would give him a few years. Carlisle knows more about these things, so we'll talk to him about it."

"Okay "I tell him and yawn into his chest. We're quiet for awhile until Edward suddenly perks up.

"Your dad's coming up to check on you. I'll be back when he's gone." He tells me before he disappears.

Less than 5 seconds later, there's a soft knock at my door and my dad sticks his head in.

"Hey can I come in?" he asks shyly.

"Sure" I tell him while pulling the covers up to my shoulders. I don't need my dad seeing my low cut nightgown. Awkward.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Just a headache and tired. I should be fine tomorrow."

"Well if you're not, I'll call into the school for you. You just had a serious head trauma not long ago. Don't push yourself."

"Okay dad but I think I'll be fine."

"Okay Bells. I'll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams."

"Night dad." I tell him before he ducks out of my room closing the door softly behind him.

Edward appears at my bedside and slides back in with me.

"Jacob and Billy just left. Jacob was nagging Charlie to come up here and check on you. He was hoping that Charlie would catch me here."

"He's going to be a problem isn't he?" I ask annoyed.

"Maybe, but don't worry we'll handle it." He tells me as I yawn again.

"Go to sleep love. I'll be here in the morning."

"Mmmkay goodnight."

"Sweet dreams, angel."


	28. Chapter 25

EPOV

Once Bella falls asleep, I can't keep from tracing her face with my fingertips. I will never forget the look on her face when she couldn't breathe, looking up at me and begging me to help her; the panic in her eyes as she clutched at her throat willing her body to work. I've never been so scared in my life, and I never want to feel that way again.

Listening to her breathing, I thank God that I was able to pull her out of her panic attack. Her breathing sounds regular and even now. I know consciously that her lungs wouldn't have been damaged from her panic attack, but I still find myself waiting for and willing her next breath to come.

I hated having to leave her tonight when I heard Jacob's thoughts as he pulled into the driveway. As she looked up at me with tears flowing down her cheeks and asked me why I had left, my frozen heart cracked. When she told me she had needed me and I wasn't there for her, it broke completely. I know I did it to protect her, but I will never forgive myself for hurting her.

Jacob is a fairly new wolf and I knew that if he saw me here with Bella, it would send him over the edge. He has always had a crush on Bella, and I could hear his excited thoughts on getting to see her. Finding out that she is in love with a vampire would be enough to make him angry, if he would have seen us together he definitely would have phased. I would die before I ever put her in danger and angering a new werewolf would be doing so.

I sat in a tree at the tree line of Bella's yard the entire time she talked to Jacob. She may not have felt like she was safe, but she was. If Jacob had even come close to phasing around her, I would have been inside in less than a second to protect her.

Sitting in that tree listening was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had to sit and listen to Jacob's inner monologue about my Bella without being able to do anything about it. When he first arrived, he immediately smelt vampire and went on alert. The scent went to the back of his mind as he entered the kitchen and saw my Bella in her tight yoga pants and t shirt, she immediately became his focus. Listening to his vulgar thoughts made me physically uncomfortable. He ogled her bottom every time she turned towards the stove, and her breasts whenever she was facing him. It took everything in me to stay locked in that tree. There are scratch marks on the tree trunk where I attached myself to it in hopes that it would ground me.

I knew that Jacob was going to smell our sex as soon as he got close to Bella, but there was nothing I could do about it. When he started talking about our sex life, I made a vow to rip his head off at the earliest opportunity, and my heart sank when I smelled Bella's tears. As soon as she said she was going to her room, I was out of my tree and in her window waiting on her. When she fell through the door sobbing, I solidified my vow to rip that dog's head off. Slowly.

The reminder of the treaty was a low blow for the mutt, but it doesn't have any bearings on us as of now. My Bella wants to be changed, so she will be. I will always give her whatever she wants. I knew as soon as we met that I wanted her forever, but I would never pressure her. When she told me that she wants to become a vampire, and I saw in her thoughts just how long she had wanted it, my heart soared. We'll be moving before we change Bella anyway because we have been in Forks too long, so those dogs have no bearings on their threat.

The treaty was made for convenience more than anything else. If a fight were ever to break out between us and them, there's no doubt that we would win. Carlisle, the ever pacifist, wanted to avoid bloodshed so he made the treaty with the wolves, and since then we've had no reason to break it. We don't want to go on their lands anyway because of the smell, and all of us are committed to our lifestyles. My Bella came in and shook things up. I love it. The thought makes me smile.

After a few hours, Bella is sleeping soundly and has had no trouble breathing so I slip out of her bed and out of the window. Sitting in the tree outside of her bedroom, I call Carlisle to tell him about our evening.

 _Hello_

I don't want to think about why it took him so long to answer.

"Hi Carlisle."

 _Edward? Is something wrong with Bella? Do I need to come to her house or the hospital?_

His knowledge of her clumsiness makes me smile.

"Nothing's wrong with Bella. She suffered a panic attack earlier this evening, but I was able to calm her down. I'm calling because there's been an altercation with the wolves."

 _Did she pass out or lose consciousness at any point in her panic attack? How is her breathing now? Regular and equal?_

I love that he's concerned about his new daughter, and hasn't even has a second thought about the mutts.

"No she never lost consciousness and her breathing is fine. Jacob Black is apparently a friend of her father's and he came over to dinner tonight with his father, Billy. He smelled me in the house and got suspicious. After questioning Bella, he found out about our relationship and smelled the scent of our mating on her. He is enraged by our relationship and told her so. He also told her to warn us about the treaty. She was very upset, but I was able to calm her down."

 _Well the treaty won't even be relevant unless Bella wants to be turned. Have you discussed this with her?_

"Yes I have. She would like to be changed, but wants to wait for awhile. She wants more time with her father."

 _Well that makes sense. We can discuss that more later. I think we need to call a meeting with the tribe. Remind them that we have not broken the treaty, but Jacob did by discussing us with Bella. We also need to tell them that his actions and threats toward Bella are unacceptable. I will not have him threatening my daughter, I don't care how angry he is._

"I agree. Call and set up the meeting and let me know when. I'm guessing Bella will want to be there. I would rather she stay safe at home, but I doubt I'lll win that argument."

Carlisle chuckles. _"Yeah I doubt you will."_

I just smile.

"I will talk to you later Carlisle. Call me when you talk to the tribe."

 _I will._ He says, _Oh and Edward?_

"Yes?"

 _I'm happy for you, son. Having your mate for eternity is the best gift in the world._

Words clog in my throat but I manage to croak out "Thank you dad."

After hanging up the phone, I jump back through the window and climb back into bed with my Bella. She sighs and rolls over to me like she always does and I smile into her hair.

BPOV (a few days later)

It's almost 10 PM before dad and I finish the dishes and I can head upstairs. I tell him goodnight like I always do before going to my room and changing into warm clothes. The meeting with the wolves is tonight. Edward is worried about me going, but I told him there's no way I'm staying home. This fight started with me, and I'm not going to let him end it without me.

When I enter my bedroom, there he is on my bed with a scowl on his face.

"I wish you'd change your mind." He tells me.

"Edward, I can't let you go alone. I have to be there. What if something happens? You could get hurt. I need to be with you. Please" I beg him.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Bella. What if something happens? You are going to be surrounded by all supernatural beings. If a fight breaks out, there's no telling what could happen."

"There's not going to be a fight, Edward. Please. I need to be with you. This is my fight. This is my story. Let me be a part of it please."

"Oh alright." He grumbles with a pout. Inwardly I'm doing a victory dance, but outwardly I just smile and nod.

The meeting is set for midnight, but we are all meeting at the Cullen house at 11.

I throw on a long sleeve shirt, some sweatpants, and a hoodie. I hope that will keep my body warm enough. I put on thick socks with my boots to keep my feet warm, and the final touches are a matching, scarf, glove, and beanie set. Edward insists that I be dressed like an eskimo if I'm going to be out this late.

"You could save all of that trouble dressing like an eskimo if you would stay home" he says with hope in his voice.

"Not a chance." I tell him shooting him a 'don't mess with me look'. It may sound silly for a human be telling that to a vampire, but it works and he shuts his mouth quickly.

Once Edward hears Charlie go to bed, he takes me in his arms and jumps out the window. With Edward running, we're at the Cullen house in no time.

"Hey Baby B" Emmett yells when we walk through the door. Apparently that nickname stuck. He swings me into his arms and spins me around in a circle.

"Hey Emmett." I laugh.

"You ready to pick a fight with some wolves." He asks excitedly as he set me down next to Edward who helps me regain my balance.

"Emmett!" Esme scolds him. "There will be no fighting! We are going to go and talk. That is it."

"Oh alright" Emmett pouts, sounding very much like his brother earlier.

Edward huffs at my thoughts and I giggle.

Heading farther into the living room, I see all of Edward's siblings comfortably sitting and watching the news. They must not care that we are about to go tick off some wolves.

"Are you hungry, Bella?" Esme asks coming over to me and putting an arm around my shoulders.

"No I'm okay." I tell her. "I just ate dinner with my dad."

"Okay well let me know if you need anything." She says before squeezing my shoulders and heading up the stairs. I don't see Carlisle so I guess she is going to get him.

Taking a seat on the couch, I'm paying more attention to the couples around me than I am to the TV. Alice and Jasper are snuggled together on one chair. She's sitting on his lap with her back against one of his shoulders and her head leaned against his. Their hands are intertwined on her lap as they absentmindedly play with each other's fingers. Rosalie and Emmett are on the couch. Rosalie is sitting sideways with her back against the arm of the couch and her feet in Emmett's lap. He is running his fingers up and down her calves and occasionally running them over the bottom of her feet making her screech and kick him. Edward and I are in the love seat. I'm leaned over with my head on his chest and my legs curled under my bottom. His arm is around my shoulders and our hands are linked together. In this room full of mated and perfectly happy couples, we fit. Edward smiles at my thought and kisses the top of my head. I sigh and lean into him. This is what I'm going to have forever. That thought makes me smile.

After a few minutes, Esme and Carlisle come downstairs together. They are both dressed warmly like I am even though they don't need to.

"Hello Bella." Carlisle says planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Hi Carlisle. I'm sorry to be the cause of all of this." I tell him making Edward hiss.

Carlisle crouches down in front of me and takes my empty hand.

"You, Bella, are no trouble at all. You are family. Esme and I already think of you as our daughter. We would never want to replace your parents, but know that we love you like our own. We would give up our lives to protect you."

I blush and nod. He kisses the back of my hand like an old time gentleman which makes me giggle.

"Alright then." He says standing up and putting his hands together. "Are we ready to go?"

"Heck yeah!" Emmett yells while jumping off of the couch making Rosalie's legs go flying. If she weren't a vampire, she would have ended up on the floor. Stinking graceful vampires.

Rosalie just scowls and smacks Emmett's arm.

"Ow. Sorry babe" he says sheepishly.

"Bella will you be warm enough?" Esme asks worried. She really is 100% mom.

I nod at her in reply.

"I have a coat to go over my hoodie that I'll grab on the way out. Edward made me dress like an eskimo." I grumble at her.

"Well I'm glad he's taking care of you." She says gently.

"Me too." I admit quietly to her.

Once I get suited up in my winter gear again, I climb onto Edward's back so we can run to the meeting place. I have no idea where we're going so I just shut my eyes and bury my face in Edward's neck.

Eventually we come to a stop and Edward helps me down. We are deep in the forest, and the tree canopy is so thick that I can no longer see the moon. It would be pitch black out here if it weren't for the flashlight that Alice hands me out of the backpack that I didn't notice her wearing before. Thanking her, I turn it on and shine it around.

In front of me are four wolves, but they are nothing like the wolves I've seen before. They are the size of horses and a lot scarier than normal wolves. There is one wolf that is a few paces in front of the others and next to him are a few humans, one of which I recognize as Billy Black. I'm guessing they are the tribe elders.

Carlisle steps out to greet them.

"Hello and thank you for meeting with us. There will be no fight tonight so it would be easier for us if you would allow your pack to phase back to humans. We would all like to be able to hear them speak." He says.

After a few minutes of talking with the others, Billy addresses Carlisle.

"We will allow two wolves to phase so that they may speak. The others will remain as they are for guarding purposes."

His statement makes me scrunch my face in confusion. Carlisle just told them that we don't want to fight. Did they not hear him correctly or do they just not believe him? On the latter, Edward squeezes my hand to let me know that I'm right.

I never take my eyes off of the wolves as one from the back line comes up a few paces to stand with the other. As I'm watching them, it looks like the wolves's fur is rippling. Soon it isn't fur, it's skin and instead of four legs, they have two. Before I know it there are two naked men standing next to the Quileute elders. Shocked at their nakedness, I quickly avert my eyes, but not before I catch Jacob's smirk in my direction.

"Could you please dress yourselves?" Carlisle asks. "There are ladies present."

The smirk drops from Jacob's face as he pulls a pair shorts on. I have no idea where he pulled them from but at least he's covered now.

"Now, we are here to discuss the threats made by Jacob Black to Isabella Swan." I scowl as Carlisle uses my full name and I hear Edward chuckle next to me. "There has been no breaking of the treaty on our part. We have always followed it. However, Jacob did break the treaty by discussing supernatural matters with Bella Swan, a human-"

"She already knew all about it from her bloodsucking boyfriend." Jacob yells interrupting Carlisle.

"That is irrelevant." Carlisle replies calmly. "The fact is, you divulged information about our family to a human. The treaty doesn't specify previous knowledge in this matter."

"But-" Jacob tries to argue but is cut off by his father.

"That's enough Jacob." Billy says harshly. "Now Carlisle, it's been established that we broke the treaty. Are you planning to attack us?"

"No of course not." Carlisle says. "I would just like you to know that the treaty is now null and void. Your own flesh and blood broke it. We could attack you if so desired and there would be no consequences on our side. If you threaten my family again, there will be repercussions. Don't underestimate us because we look and act a little different from others of our kind, we will fight and we will win." Carlisle says in a calm but stern voice. I've always known Carlisle as a sweet and easy going man, but now I can appreciate him being the head of this vampire family. He will do anything to protect his family, even if it means going against his pacifist nature.

Billy's eyes light up with anger, but there really isn't anything he can do.

"Very well then." He says.

"Wait a second." Jacob yells. "Bella isn't your family. She has her own family. Just because your…son defiled her and manipulated her, doesn't make her your family."

Edward's growl vibrates my back.

"Be careful how you speak of my mate, dog. It wouldn't take much for me to lose my control." Edward growls.

"Mate?!" Jacob screeches. "How can she be your mate? She's human. You're sick. You manipulated an innocent girl to be your sex toy. How long until you get rid of her, huh?"

Edward's roar echoes through the forest as he runs after Jacob. My flashlight barely has time to catch up to him before he's abruptly stopped by Carlisle who whispers something into his ear and sends him back to me. I can feel the anger rolling off of Edward in waves as he stands next to me and grabs my hand.

"Billy I suggest you control your son. I won't be so inclined to stop Edward the next time." Carlisle says lowly. I can tell he's barely holding his temper.

Billy nods but doesn't say anything.

"Now I think we need to be going. Bella needs to get out of the cold." Carlisle says while walking back to Esme and grabbing her hand.

"Thank you for your diplomacy, Carlisle." Billy says through gritted teeth.

"You're welcome" Carlisle replies smoothly.

Edward doesn't wait for anything else to be said before he throws me onto his back and takes off running. Edward takes me straight home and returns me to my room via the window. He paces by my bed while I change out of my winter clothes and into my pajamas. Once I crawl into bed, and he's still in his angry haze, I call out to him.

"Edward, please come to bed." He sighs and closes his eyes before coming over and climbing into bed with me. He takes me into his arms like always but I can feel how tense he is.

"I should kill him for what he said about you." He whispers angrily.

"Edward remember what you said earlier before we left my house. If there was a fight than I could have gotten hurt. You know your couldn't have attacked Jacob without the others getting involved too." I tell him. I know the best way to get him to calm down is to use my safety.

"I know, but I swear if I ever see him again, I will kill him." He hisses.

"Okay" I tell him while combing my fingers through his hair. There's no use in arguing with him when he's this angry.

He lets out a long sigh and pulls me in for a short kiss.

"I love you, Bella." He whispers against my lips.

"I love you too, Edward. Forever."


	29. Chapter 26

BPOV

"Happy Birthday!" my dad yells barreling through my door at the butt crack of dawn.

"Ugh" I groan out and throw the blankets over my head. I'm 18 years old today, officially an adult, and I still can't stop my dad from waking me up in the morning. It's been a few days since our meeting with the wolves and so far everything has been quiet, well everything except my dad in the morning.

"Come on Bells. I have presents for you…and I made coffee." With that last word I pull the blanket down enough to glare at him.

"Is the coffee with you or is it downstairs?"

He just huffs at me.

"I brought it with me. What kind of fool do you think I am?" Pulling his hand from behind his back, he hands me a steaming thermos full of coffee. I scramble out of bed to grab it like it's going to disappear any second.

Mmm a little cream and a lot of sugar, just the way I like it.

"Thanks dad." I tell him as I sit back in bed with my coffee.

"You're welcome. Now am I forgiven for waking you up?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll think about it." I tell him.

"Alright but I have to be at work early and I wanted you to open your presents this morning." He tells me. He always gets excited for me to open my presents.

Glancing over at my nightstand, I see two wrapped packages that I didn't notice before. Actually, wrapped may be too broad of a term, it's more like he bundled up the paper over it and then wound a whole roll of tape around the paper. I might need the jaws of life to open them.

"Dad I think we need to introduce you to the wonder of gift bags." I tell him while trying to find a piece of wrapping paper that doesn't have tape on it.

"Whatever, B. I'm a great wrapper. It's supposed to be hard for you to open them, that's the fun part."

I just roll my eyes at him.

Finally I find a corner where I can start tearing and about five minutes later, I get all of the paper off. It's a velvet jewelry box, and I take a deep breath before opening it. For all I know it could a giant cat broach that my dad will insist I wear 24/7. When I open the box, my breath hitches. Inside is a beautiful, delicate charm bracelet. Tearing my eyes away from it, I look at my dad. He's swaying nervously in front of my door with his hands in his pockets.

"Dad…it's beautiful." I tell him. He comes over and helps me put it on.

"The sales lady helped me pick it out and then I chose the charms."

When I look closer at it, I notice that there are several charms on it. I can't believe he picked each one specifically. There's a small book, a small truck that looks so much like mine that it makes me giggle, a sapphire (my birthstone), a heart that looks like my locket, and three other gemstones. I look up at my dad confused about the last three and he clears his throat anxiously.

"Um this one" he says fingering a purplish stone. "is alexandrite. It is the June birthstone. I thought you would want a representation of Edward, so I asked him when his birthday was." I'm literally speechless as I wait for him to explain the other two. My heart soars when I think about him wanting to include Edward.

"This one" he fingers the red stone, "is a ruby. It's to represent me and my birthday in July. And this one is a diamond," he says pointing to it. "It's to represent your mom. Her birthday was in April."

By the time he's finished, tears have slid down my cheeks and I get up to hug him.

"This is amazing dad. Thank you so much. It's the best present I've ever gotten. I'll never take it off."

He holds me tight for a while before patting my back and chuckling.

"It's your eighteenth birthday Bells. I wanted you to have something special. Now open your other present."

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I reach for the other, larger, present. This one takes me about 15 minutes to open as my dad sits there and laughs at me. Once I finally tear the paper off, it looks like a big book, but it has my picture on the cover. When I open it the front page says,

 _Isabella Marie Swan_

 _Born September 13, 1987_

"Dad what is this?" I ask him confused.

"Um well I was looking through the attic and I found a box of your baby pictures and mementos. In there I found your mom's baby journal. I knew she wrote everything down when she was pregnant with you, but I didn't know that she had saved the journal. You've never really had a baby book so I wanted to make you one. It's not really a present from me. Esme and Alice helped me with it a lot. You know how challenged I am when it comes to crafts."

Flipping through the pages, my jaw drops to my chin. Every page has a few pictures on it with some cut out inserts that have my mom's handwriting on them. It starts out with pictures of her when she was pregnant, she's turned to the side in each of them and you can see her growing bump. Each writing insert tells of a new fascination or horror to come along with pregnancy. I laugh as I read about her crazy dreams and the first time she randomly exploded on my dad because of her hormones. The story of the first time she felt me kick makes me cry. She writes constantly about how much she loves me and how she can't wait until I arrive. Soon there are pictures of me as a newborn in the hospital and then as an infant. There are some of a pre-moustache-Charlie holding me. He looks like he's scared out of his mind, but there's so much love in his eyes that it makes me cry harder. Soon there are pictures of me crawling and my mom's notes about my first steps. On one page there is a lock of my hair with the story of my first haircut. I laugh as I read about how I tried to bite the beautician and my mom cried when they cut off my curls. The last page of the book has a picture of my parents and I on my first day of preschool.

Gently and reverently, I place the book back on my nightstand and throw myself in my dad's arms, sobbing.

"Daddy" I whimper into his neck.

"I love you so much baby girl" he whispers brokenly. I can tell he's crying. He loved my mom just as much as I did.

I can't say anything so I just cry and hold him. Once I have no more tears left, I sit back and look up at him. He wipes my tears away with his thumbs.

"Thank you so much daddy. I love you." I tell him. He sniffs and shrugs before heading towards the door.

"You're welcome Bells. I have to get going or I'm going to be late. I love you. I hope you have a good birthday."

"I will. I'll see you tonight." He just nods awkwardly before leaving. I fall back onto the bed and clutch the book to my chest.

As soon as I hear his cruiser pull out of the driveway, cold arms envelope me as a body comes against my back.

"Are you okay?" Edward asks quietly and I nod at him.

"I've been outside listening. Do you mind if I look through your book with you?" he whispers in my ear.

As I sit up, he does the same and pulls me onto his chest. Together we look through my book of memories. We laugh and cry together (well cry as much as he can). Once we get to the last page, I take a few minutes to look at the picture. Tracing my mom's face with my fingertip, I smile sadly.

"Your mom would be so proud of you Bella." Edward says softly. I don't know what to say so I just lean against his chest.

"I can't believe my dad did this." I say after a few minutes. "Thank Esme and Alice for me please. I'll never be able to repay them for this."

"You don't need to love. They love you and your dad. They were ecstatic that he allowed them to help him with it."

We sit together quietly for a minute before I break the silence.

"We better get ready if we're going to get to school." I tell him sadly.

"Well that's part of the reason I'm here." He says smiling.

"Huh?" I ask him. I'm confused.

"We aren't going to school today. It's part of my birthday present to you. I've talked to Charlie and he's agreed for us to take the day off so that we can get a head start."

Is he talking in code? A head start to what?

"I'm taking you away for the weekend. That's why Charlie had you open his presents this morning. Alice has already packed you a bag and we are going to leave as soon as you get dressed. We'll be gone today, tomorrow and come home Sunday."

"Are you serious?!" I ask excited.

"Yes love. Your dad threatened my life if I brought you back hurt or broken, but he knows that you're eighteen. He can't really stop you from going, and I don't think he wants to. He understands that we're in love."

"Wow" I mutter. I can't believe my dad is being so awesome about this.

"Well it might also have something to do with Esme's charm. You see, she's the one who called and explained everything to him. By the time I asked him, he was in a daze." He says laughing.

"So just you and me? For three whole days?" I ask him excited and he nods.

My speed marvels a vampire as I leap out of bed and head to the bathroom. I quickly shower and dry off before heading into my room.

"I picked out something for you to wear on the drive, love. I want you to be comf-" he stops when he turns around and sees me completely naked with my wet hair trailing down my back.

"Thanks!" I squeak and lean up to kiss his cheek before grabbing the bra and panty set he laid out on the bed. Of course it's lacy and completely see-through. When I look at him with one eyebrow raised, he just grins cheekily at me. He chose a soft long sleeve t-shirt and yoga pants for the drive. Once I'm dressed, I quickly braid my hair and put my locket on. Grabbing my shoes in my hand, I run outside in my socks to Edward's car. He's right next to me laughing to whole way.

"A little eager, huh?" he asks me laughing once we're in the car and I nod excitedly at him.

"Well Alice packed for us, so the trunk is full of suitcases for you, and there's one suitcase in the backseat for me. Esme sent two coolers of food for the drive and Emmett sent a suitcase full of junk food. I brought you a blanket and pillow in case you want to nap in the car. Carlisle packed a first aid kit, just in case, and Jasper sent a few books so you can read on the way. I'm not sure what Rosalie sent, but she told me to give you this when we get there." He says gesturing to a small bag laying on the console. It's about the size of the suitcases in the back. "I'm under strict instructions not to open it and she has kept her thoughts hidden from me for days."

"Hmmm interesting." I tell him. "What do you think is in it?"

"I don't know. I'm a little nervous about it. Knowing Rosalie it could be anything."

"Well I guess we'll find out when we get there….by the way where are we going?"

"Nice try, love, but I can't tell you. It's a birthday surprise." He tells me with a smirk. He really enjoys this too much. "We won't get there until tonight, so you better get comfortable. Esme packed plenty of food for you but if you want something hot, we can always stop at a restaurant."

"Okay." I tell him pulling my legs up into my seat. Might as well get comfortable.

Reaching into the backseat, I pull Emmett's snack suitcase into my lap. When I open it, I find every snack food I could ever want: doritos, pringles, lays potato chips in every flavor, gummy bears and gummy worms, granola bars, snack cakes, chocolate bars, candy bars, chocolate covered peanuts, oreos, chips ahoy, skittles, Cheetos, and more. As I dig around in the bag, I find a package with a sticky note attached to it.

 _Baby B-_

 _I hope you like these snacks I got for you. Eat as many as you can, you need a little meat on your bones._

 _They didn't have half of this stuff when I was human so I hope it's good._

 _These looked interesting. Let me know if you like them. We see them outside all of the time._

 _Toodles,_

 _Big E_

Once I pull the note off of the box, I see that the label says chocolate covered crickets. I burst out laughing as Edward just shakes his head.

"Does he really think if I eat these, he can just go out into the backyard and catch me some more?" I ask.

"Probably. Are you going to eat them?"

"Um no. Bugs aren't really my thing." I tell him scrunching my nose. "What's with him signing it 'Big E'?"

"I don't know. He's a freak." I just laugh and nod at him before throwing the crickets into the backseat and digging into the snack bag.

"Bella, wake up. We're here." Edward says while shaking my shoulder lightly. I fell asleep around our 12th hour in the car.

Looking up, all I see is snow. I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes before turning to Edward.

"Where are we?"

"We're at our cabin in Alaska" he says excited.

"Wait. When you say 'our' you mean your family's right?"

"Um no. I mean yours and mine." He says sheepishly.

"You bought us a cabin?!" I screech.

"Well technically I'm renting it. If we like it this weekend, then I will put the final paperwork through to buy it."

"Oh my gosh! I..uh..you…ugh well let's go see our cabin then." I grumble.

"It's a little bit of a walk from here but I'll carry you and then I'll come back for the bags." He tells me before coming around and opening my door. He has my coat in his hands and holds it out for me to put on. I had taken it off shortly after we got in the car because it's too bulky.

Lifting me bridal style into his arms, he takes off running. It only feels like a few seconds before he stops.

The first thing I notice as he sets me down is how beautiful everything is. Our cabin is an old style log cabin with a chimney. Behind it is a snow covered mountain range, and there are fur trees all around. It looks like a Christmas card.

Grabbing Edward's hand I run up onto the front porch, taking a moment to admire the porch swing and wooden rocking chairs before going inside. The front door opens into the living room; it has high ceilings and the wall facing the mountains is almost completely glass. There is a massive sectional couch facing a giant entertainment center with a coffee table in between the two. To my right is a large cubby that looks like a room without the wall separating it from the living room. All three walls have picture windows and each has a window seat laid into it. To my left is a door with no knob and when I press on it, it swings inward. Walking through it, I find the most beautiful kitchen, I've ever seen. It has all stone countertops and the cabinets are a beautiful wood. There is a dining room area off to the side and an island in the middle. On the counters are stainless steel kitchen appliances that look brand new, and baskets of fruit and pastries. Walking through the kitchen, I find another doorway that leads back to the living room. Once there I head to the another door on the opposite side of the living room. Inside I find what I assume is the master suite. To the right is a little sitting area that leads to the bathroom, and to the right is the actual bedroom. There is a king size bed with nightstands on each side. The bed and the nightstand are made of the same beautiful wood. There is also a vanity against one wall with a lighted mirror and lots of drawers for storage. The sitting room has two plush chairs facing a stone fireplace and a massive bearskin rug on the floor. I wonder if one of the Cullens caught that bear.

Heading through the sitting room and into the bathroom, I find that it's even more luxurious than Edward's. There is a glass shower with multiple shower heads and even a bench. There is also a double bathtub with jets and candles all around it. I find the toilet inside one of the closets and towels inside the other. I love this house. I don't think anything could make me love it more. Dang it! I was hoping I would hate it so Edward wouldn't have to buy it.

When I go back into the bedroom, I find Edward carrying in what I'm assuming is my luggage, and I laugh because he looks like a pack mule. He may have the strength of a vampire, but seeing an average sized man carrying seven massive suitcases at once is quite amusing. Dropping the suitcases on the bed, he raises his eyebrow at me.

"So what do you think of the house?"

"I…I love it. It's perfect." I admit and he grins.

"Good I'll call the owner tomorrow."

I roll my eyes at his smugness. I should have known the house would be perfect, he can read my mind.

"So are you ready for bed? Or do you want to eat dinner first?" he asks.

"I don't want anything to eat. I think I ate my weight in junk food on the way here. Emmett is evil." I tell him while laying a hand on my belly.

"How about we sit by the fire? You can finish that book you were reading on the way here."

"Okay." I tell him. "But first I want to open Rosalie's gift. I'm dying to know what it is."

"I set it on the dresser earlier. I'll just give you some privacy. Call for me when you're done." He tells me and with a kiss on the forehead, he's gone.

Grabbing the bag on the dresser, I sit on the bed to open it. The first thing I find is a note.

 _Bella-_

 _I hope you find this useful on your trip. I know where Edward is taking you and thought it might be appropriate._

 _Have fun, but not too much fun._

 _-Rose_

Reaching into the bag I find a pair of ice skates and a matching set of gloves, a scarf and a hat. They are all ice blue and I can tell they're expensive. The skates are white and have sparkles on them. I love them.

"Edward" I say softly and he's immediately at my side. Showing him my present, he smiles.

"Rosalie loves to ice skate. As a vampire athletics come pretty easy to us, and we like to play them all. Rosalie will play the normal sports with the boys, but her real passion is to ice skate."

"It's nice that she's sharing that with me." I tell him while running my fingers over the soft beanie.

He nods, "Yeah it is. We can go skating tomorrow if you want. I'm guessing Alice saw this and packed my skates."

"I would like that. I haven't skated since I was little, so you'll have to help me."

"I can definitely do that. Come on, I got the fire started and grabbed your book from the car."

Taking his outstretched hand, we head into the sitting room. He takes a seat in one of the chairs and pulls me into his lap.

"Won't you be bored sitting here while I read?" I ask him.

"I could never be bored around you Bella. I love to sit with you while you read. I get to watch the story through your beautiful imagination. I watched the story the whole way here, and now I'm ready to finish it." He tells me smiling.

I only have a few chapters left so I crack open the book and snuggle into his lap.

It doesn't take me long to finish and once I do, I set it on the chair next to us and lay my head against Edward's neck.

"Are you tired, love?" he asks me.

I don't bother answering him, I just turn my head and start nuzzling and kissing his neck.

"So you're not tired?" he stammers out.

"Nope." I tell him, popping my mouth on the 'p' and going back to his neck.

When I take his earlobe into my mouth and nibble on it, he groans.

"Bella" he says low in his throat while grasping my thighs in his hands.

I turn and straddle his lap before taking his mouth with mine. His lips taste so good as I trace the seam with my tongue. He gladly opens up to me and pokes his tongue out to tangle with mine. Slipping my hands up his shirt to feel his silky chest, I slip his shirt off of him, reluctantly releasing his lips for a moment. He has his hands under my shirt at my waist as I grind myself down on him. I can feel him through his jeans and my yoga pants. I want him so bad. Reaching down, I pull my shirt off and press my bra-covered chest to his naked one. He growls and takes my bra clasp in his hands. He must be inpatient because he doesn't bother to unclip it, he just pulls and it comes apart. He flings my bra across the room, not bothering to lift his mouth from mine to see where it landed.

"Edward" I whimper as I move over his lap harder. I need more.

He picks me up and lays me down on the rug before running his tongue down my chest and sucking one nipple into his mouth. I groan and bury my fingers in his hair. He continues licking down my chest and stomach until he comes to the top of my yoga pants, which he peels down with my panties until I'm lying naked in front of him, the light from the fire dancing across my skin.

"You are mesmerizing, love." He whispers huskily. I reach out for him and he comes back to lay on top of me.

"Edward" I manage to pant out. "You're wearing too many clothes."

Quickly he reaches down and literally rips his jeans and boxers off so that we are both completely naked. His velvet skin brushing up against mine is the best feeling in the world, I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

He tilts his body and pushes inside of me slowly. We both groan as he stretches me. His slides easily through my wetness until he is completely buried. He leans up on his elbows and looks directly in my eyes.

"I love you." He whispers and I lean up to kiss him softly.

"I love you too."

Keeping his eyes on mine, he starts moving and it's amazing. I can feel the knot in my belly getting bigger and bigger, until it feels like I'm going to explode. Suddenly he shifts a little and thrusts into me again hitting my special spot, and I cry out. His eyes never leave mine as he continues to thrust into me. It only takes a few more thrusts before I come around him. My orgasm triggers his and we come together, never breaking eye contact. It's so incredibly intimate that I want to cry.

I can feel sweat dripping off of me and I'm startled when a cold tongue licks a drop that is between my breasts.

"You taste so good, love." He tells me.

"Hmm" I hum in reply. I can't move or even talk right now.

Carefully he slips out of me and comes to lay beside me. He pulls me onto his chest and starts combing through my hair that somehow came undone during our love making. The warm fire and lulling motion of his hands quickly put me to sleep.


	30. Chapter 27

BPOV

The first thing I notice when I wake up is that I'm oddly warm. It doesn't take me long to figure out why. I'm under a mountain of blankets in our giant bed, and Edward is nowhere to be found. Slipping out of bed, I throw on one of his t-shirts before going in search of my mate..

As soon as I open the bedroom door, I'm assaulted with the smell of breakfast. The smell draws me in and I quickly make my way through the living room to the kitchen where I find my Edward cooking. He's shirtless and his pajama pants are hanging so low on his hips that it make me lick my lips. He's seriously delicious.

It's impossible to sneak up on a vampire, so of course he knows the minute I walk through the door.

"Good morning love. How did you sleep?" he asks smiling at me.

"I slept really well. Better than I have in a week. I missed you when I woke up though." I tell him while coming over and laying my face against his chest. I'm still trying to wake up.

He, of course, puts his arms around me, and kisses the top of my head.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to make you breakfast. I was hoping you would stay asleep so I could bring it to you in bed."

"I got hot without you." I tell him, looking up into his eyes and pouting.

"I'm sorry. I should have taken some of the blankets off of you before I left, but you looked so cute under that mountain."

"By the way, how did I get into bed? The last thing I remember, we were…in front of the fire." I ask him, my cheeks turning red.

"Once you fell asleep, I carried you to bed and tucked you in. I didn't want you to hurt your back by sleeping on the floor." He's seriously the sweetest man ever.

"Oh. Well thank you."

"No problem." He tells me and kisses my lips lightly. "Your breakfast is finished. I hope it tastes okay. I made it all by myself."

"Wow, I'm impressed." I tell him, and I really am. There's pancakes, bacon, and what looks like fresh squeezed orange juice. It all looks and smells great.

He makes me a plate and I take a seat at the island to eat.

"So I was thinking that maybe we could go for a hike today." He tells me and I just raise one eyebrow at him.

"A hike?" I say after swallowing the food in my mouth. "You want to take me hiking?"

"Well there's probably some beautiful views up the mountain a little bit. I thought you might want to explore and find some. I can carry you if you'd like."

"No, I can walk. I hope Alice packed me comfortable boots though."

"She did, I made sure of it. I'll pack a bag with our skates in it in case we find a pond. We can also take a picnic lunch if you'd like."

"Sure that sounds great."

"Good. We'll go once you've finished eating."

After breakfast, which was surprisingly very good, we headed upstairs to get dressed. Edward insisted that I dress really warm. If I thought I was dressed like an eskimo before, I was wrong. I have on a tight, long sleeve t shirt over a tank top and bra, with a light blue sweater over it. My sweater matches my new winter set from Rosalie; sometimes you gotta love Alice. I have thermal leggings on over my panties, and on my feet I have wool socks on under my hiking boots. I feel like a marshmallow and I don't even have my coat on yet.

Edward is in the kitchen packing food for us to take with us and our skates, and as soon as I'm dressed, I go to meet him. As I enter the kitchen, he zips up a backpack and throwing it onto his shoulder.

"You ready, love?"

"Yep."

"Good, make sure you put your coat on."

I just roll my eyes as I head into the living room to grab my coat and put my hat, gloves, and scarf on.

Once I'm sufficiently bundled up, we head out. Edward wants to hike up the mountain a bit to see if we can find a pond to skate on. I don't know much about hiking or mountains or directions, so I just follow his lead. He takes my gloved hand in his bare one before leading us on and up.

We've been hiking for about an hour when we find a clearing in the mountain. We decide to explore it a bit and find a beautiful frozen pond surrounded by trees and mountains. It's so beautiful, it takes my breath away.

"Wow" I breathe out.

"Yeah." Edward whispers back.

We walk over to a fallen tree to sit down and Edward takes his backpack off.

"You ready to try skating, love?" He asks pulling out our skates and undoing his shoes.

"I think so." I answer while chewing on my bottom lip. I'm a little nervous.

Edward picks up my feet one by one to put my skates on for me. I want to protest that I can put my own skates on, but I know how much it means to him to take care of me, so I let him do it.

Once we're both suited up, he stands and helps me up. My legs are shaking as I awkwardly waddle my way to the pond. Edward insists on going first to try it out for safety reasons, and I have the pleasure of watching him skate alone for a few minutes. He's so beautiful and graceful; I know vampires are automatically that way, but I can't help thinking he has a little extra. He moves like he's dancing, slowly and surely gliding along the ice. It takes a few minutes before he deems it safe enough for me.

He takes my hands and slowly helps me walk until I'm almost on the ice. Before I can step on, I jerk him to a halt.

"Please don't let me fall." I beg looking up into his eyes.

"Never" he replies making my heart skip a beat.

I nod and let him pull me onto the ice.

At first I look like a baby deer learning to walk, but the more I try, the better I get. I remember this feeling from when I skated as a kid and I'm not great, but at least I can hold my own.

"See I knew you could do it" Edward says once he's confident enough to let me go on my own.

I smile at him as I slowly skate around. Every now and then I have to throw my arms out to regain my balance and I'm sure I look like a mentally handicapped bird.

Edward bursts out laughing.

"You look beautiful, love. You look like every bit of the swan you are."

I blush and concentrate on skating. Edward takes my hands, not to guide me, but just so we can skate together, and I love it. I feel so graceful and beautiful.

After a half hour or so, I'm ready to take a break. I've always considered myself to be in pretty good shape but my legs are starting to ache in muscles I didn't even know I had.

"You ready for a lunch break, love?" he asks worried and I just nod at him.

We go back on the fallen tree to sit and Edward pulls the food out of his bag.

"This is all I could think of that would stay fresh without a cooler." He says looking embarrassed at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his hand.

"This is great, Edward. I haven't had a PB&J in forever." I really am excited. There's no beating a classic.

He smiles while handing me the sandwich and a water bottle.

It doesn't take me long to finish my lunch, I didn't realize how hungry I was.

"Do you want to skate some more, or do you want to go back to the cabin?" Edward asks as he takes my trash and puts it into his bag.

"Let's go back to the house. I wanna get warm and rest my legs."

"Okay love. Do you want me to carry you?" He asks. I can see the worry all over his face and it's so sweet.

"No Edward, I'm fine. But before we go can we do something?"

"Sure love. Anything you want."

"Let's take a picture. Did you bring your phone? I never want to forget this place." I ask sheepishly.

"That sounds perfect. We can set the timer and then put it on that tree right there. That way it will get both of us and the scenery in the picture."

I quickly agree and he goes to set up the camera. Taking our places on the ice we pose for our pictures. We take one of us smiling, and one of us kissing. They're beautiful and I want to make them poster size and hang them up in my room.

Once he puts his phone away, Edward slings his bag over his shoulder and grabs my hand.

It takes us less time to get down the mountain than it did to climb up it, and were at the house before I know it.

I guess Edward was right about my eskimo clothes because all I can think about right now is getting warm. I'm frozen to the bone, and can almost hear my bones creaking with every step.

After dropping our shoes and coats off in the entryway, Edward swings me up into his arms and runs to the bathtub. I'm so excited, I've been wanting to try this tub out since we got here. He fills the tub with water and squirts in a little of my vanilla bubble bath before turning to me and pulling my shirt off. I'm shivering so I'm not much help in getting my clothes off, but it doesn't seem like Edward needs it. In less than a minute, I'm naked and he helps me step into the water. It feels so good against my cold skin and I sink down until the water is up to my chin. Edward quickly undresses himself and climbs into the other side.

The tub is almost a triangle shape without the sharp point at the end. The end with our feet is skinny and then it widens so that there is room for more than one set of shoulders. There are headrests behind us and jets all around.

Once Edward sits down, he lifts his arm so that I can duck under it and lay against his chest. The warm water is seeping into both of us, warming our skin. His will never be as warm as mine but it's nice to cuddle with him without having to worry about it. Lifting a hand, he flips the jets on and I moan as they massage my body. My muscles are sore from our hike and skating today, so this is like a religious experience.

When I moan again, Edward tenses underneath me.

"Bella, please. You're killing me with those noises."

"I'm sorry." I moan. "It's hitting just the right spot."

He groans like he's in pain.

His hand that is running up and down my arm, slips down to my waist and holds on tight. When he starts tracing patterns on my belly with his other hand, I'm moaning for a completely different reason. When I maneuver my body to kiss him, a jet hits my core and I moan out. I try to move away but Edward holds my hips in place. His eyes are black as he watches between my legs. His fingers come up to play with my nipples and I moan again. Leaving the jet blowing on my clit, he reaches down and slowly sinks one of his fingers into me. He pumps it in and out in the same rhythm that he fingers on my nipples are using. I don't know if I can take any more of this, the pleasure is so intense that I feel like I'm going to burst.

"Edward" I whimper

"Come for me Bella. Now" he orders and simultaneously sticks another finger inside of me. That throws me over the edge and I come harder than I ever have before.

Before I can come completely down from my high, his mouth is on mine and he pulls me into his lap. I moan into his mouth as his hardness comes into the contact with my core. There really is something to be said about vampire stamina. After he brushes against my clit a few times, I cant take it anymore and I slam myself down on him.

"Bella" he yells out and grabs my hips with his hands.

He always feels so good inside of me and I can feel myself building up again. I start moving up and down on him quickly chasing my orgasm. He's so beautiful with his head thrown back and water dripping out of his hair down to his chest and rippling into the tub. Suddenly he grabs my hips and pulls me down hard on him. I cry out in pleasure as I come around him and he spills into me.

I fall onto his chest exhausted and panting. He is breathing hard, even though he doesn't need to, and running his hands all over my body.

"Jesus, woman, you're going to kill me."

 _But what a way to go._ I think to him and smile when he laughs lightly.

"I love you so much, sweetheart." He whispers to me, breaking the silence.

"I love you too, Edward. More than my own life." His breath hitches and he holds me to him tighter.

After a few minutes, I break out intimate silence, "Edward I think we need to get out, I'm all pruney."

"Okay love." He tells me laughing.

He gently lifts me off of him and we both groan. Standing up, he picks me up and gets out of the tub. He sets me on my feet on the bath mat before grabbing a towel and drying my body.

"Why don't you go get dressed while I drain the tub and clean up in here." He tells me. I nod in reply and he kisses my forehead before I turn to leave.

In the bedroom, I search through his suitcase for one of his button-up shirts and throw it on. Finding some clean, lacy panties out of my bag, I put those on too. I wonder why Alice packed me so many suitcases and only packed Edward one. She should have known that I would just steal his clothes. I guess she was hoping that I would change my mind and wear some of my own.

I'm brushing my hair on the bed when Edward comes in with just a towel around his waist. My mouth goes dry and I have to force my eyes away. He's dressed in less than a second and comes to sit next to me taking the brush from my hand to run it gently through my hair.

"What do you want for dinner, sweetheart?" he asks me. "I had the housekeeper make several meals and put them in the refrigerator for you. I didn't want you to have to cook."

"We have a housekeeper?" I ask him.

"Really she's a house sitter and a housekeeper. She stays here all year round including when the owner is here. Since we're buying the property, I will be giving her time off when we're here so that we can have our privacy."

"Okay. So really she lives here?"

"She takes care of the house, yes, but we own it."

"Hmm" I hum in reply. I'm not sure how I feel about someone else living in my house when I'm not there. Does she sleep in our bed? Take baths in our bathtub? I blush at that last thought.

"The master suite will be locked at all times, love. She has her own bedroom that is off of the kitchen. She has orders not to come into this room. This is our place. I don't want anyone else in here."

"Good" I tell him as he sets the brush down. "I'm starving, lets go see how good of a cook Ms. Housekeeper is."

After warming up some chicken picatta and vegetables, we head back into the bedroom. I want to eat in front of the fire, so Edward started one for me.

The food is delicious and I'm looking forward to eating more of it tomorrow. Edward takes my plate into the kitchen once it's empty and I move to lay down on the rug in front of the fire. He comes back a few minutes later with chocolate dipped strawberries.

"Mmm where have you been hiding those?" I ask him licking my lips as he sits next to me on the floor.

"I made them this morning. I hid them in the back of the fridge."

"Chocolate dipped strawberries are my favorite." I tell him, eyeing the plate like a lion hunting a gazelle.

"I know." He says with a smirk. Stupid all-knowing vampire.

When I reach for one, he pulls the tray away. I pout up at him and he chuckles.

"I would like to feed you love. Is that okay?" he asks shyly.

"Um yeah I guess."

Picking up the strawberry, he puts it to my lips and allows me to take a bite. I moan as the flavors explode in my mouth. He quickly offers me the next one and I greedily open my mouth for it.

After 5 strawberries, I'm full and happy. Edward sets the plate down on the table between the chairs and lays back down with me. He pulls me onto his chest and combs his fingers through my hair before taking my left hand in his and laying them together on his chest. We lay in comfortable silence until he starts fidgeting and pulls my face up to look into my eyes.

"I love you so much Bella. Everything I am is because of you. You are made for me and I, you. My world is nothing if you aren't in it. We are two halves of a whole, incomplete without the other. I didn't even know that I could love anything as wholly and unconditionally as I love you."

I'm speechless as I look into his eyes and he bears his soul to me.

"Bella…I want no one else for the rest of eternity and I hope you feel the same way. I want you with me forever, as my mate, my lover, my girlfriend, my sweetheart, my love, my heart and soul. But most of all, I want you as my wife. Isabella will you marry me?"

My jaw hits my chest as I stare at him in shock. There's something cold nestled around my ring finger and when I look down I see the most beautiful ring. It's an oval shape with diamonds encrusted all over the face. It's old-fashioned and perfect.

"This was my mother's. Carlisle saved it after she died. She always told me that I would one day give it to the woman who had my heart. The one who knew me better than I know myself."

"Edward" I whisper as tears roll down my cheeks.

"Marry me Bella. Be my wife. Forever."

"Yes!" I squeal out. Of course! How could he think I would say no? This is what I've always wanted.

I lean over and lay a passionate kiss on his lips before he breaks away chuckling. He wipes the tears away from my face, before leaning his forehead against mine and smiling.

"Forever." He says looking deep into my eyes.

I smile at him before kissing his nose.

"Forever."


	31. Epilogue

EPOV

This is agony.

Never in my life have I ever experienced this kind of pain.

I always thought that my own transformation was the worst pain I could ever feel, but I was wrong. Sitting here while my love writhes in pain on the bed that we have made love on so many times before, there can be nothing worse than this. Since I first learned that I could see and hear Bella's thoughts, it's always been a gift. She has an amazing mind and I love having that insight to her. Right now it is pure hell. The pain is bad enough, but the fact that she is my mate and there's nothing I can do to stop it, makes it worse. She has been changing for 3 days and according to Alice, she only has an hour or so left.

It's been two years since I proposed to Bella in our little Alaskan cabin, and it's been the best two years of my life.

We both graduated high school with honors, and I'll never forget Bella's face when Charlie stood up in the crowd on graduation day clapping for her with tears falling from his eyes. After graduation we stayed around Forks for another year. Bella took some online literature classes while planning our wedding, and completed her first two semesters of college. She plans to go back once she has her newborn thirst under control.

We were married on June 8th in my parent's backyard where we've played football so many times. Bella and Alice made the backyard into a fantasy world and it was perfect. My mate was breathtaking as she came down the aisle dressed in all white with a smile that lit up her whole face. For our honeymoon, I took Bella on a tour of Europe. I want to show her the world, and that is where we decided to start. She was able to see all of the things and places she had always dreamed of, and I loved watching her do it. Once we returned from our honeymoon, she moved into the big Cullen house for a month as we prepared to move. Charlie thinks that we are going to be attending the University of Alaska, and we might someday. We are all hoping that once Bella has overcome her newborn emotions, she will be able to talk to Charlie on the phone and possibly even video chat. It's up to Bella whether she will ever see him again in person; it would be very tricky and she may want to give him closure by faking her death rather than dragging him along through her journey.

We came back to our cabin in Alaska for Bella's change per her request. Carlisle is here with me but that's it. Bella was very specific about the circumstances of her change. She didn't want to put any of the others through the pain of watching her change, especially Jasper. Carlisle is here in case we are both needed to contain her. With her newborn strength, she will be stronger than I am.

I'm broken out of my memories when Bella's steady heart skips a beat. It's been steadily slowing down since I bit her days ago. Carlisle's hand on my shoulder alerts me of his presence before he speaks.

"It shouldn't be long now."

He must be speaking aloud for Bella's benefit.

I've never been this anxious in my life as I listen to my love's heart continue to slow until it gives one last deep thump and goes quiet. Standing slowly, I watch as Bella's red eyes open for the first time.

Her eyes lock onto mine and I finally find the breath to speak.

"Bella?"


	32. Christmas Outtake

**Hi guys! It's been awhile! Almost every review I've gotten for this story has asked for this outtake so here it is. I hope you like it. It's been awhile since I've written anything so go easy on me ;) This takes place a few months after Chapter 27.**

BPOV

"Merry Christmas, angel."

Cool breath in my ear makes me shiver, and a small smile comes across my face.

"Hi"

Edward's beautiful smile is the first thing I see when I open my eyes. Absentmindedly my fingers come up to trace along his full lips and he kisses them softly.

"What time is it?" I ask sleepily.

"It's 8, but I wanted to be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. I have to go soon. Charlie's awake, but he's been waiting to wake you. It seems that you are a little scary when he wakes you up."

He smirks at me and I giggle.

"Hey a girl needs her beauty sleep." I scoff at him. "What time should we come over later." I ask effectively changing the subject.

"Whenever you want love. You wouldn't believe how excited Emmett and Alice are to have our first Christmas as a whole family."

"I'm kind of excited too." I tell him. It's been months since I bought Edward's present, and I've been dying to give it to him. I just hope he isn't upset because he's the reason I was in Port Angeles the night I was attacked.

Edward suddenly looks towards the door.

"Charlie's about to come in. I will see you in a couple hours, love."

He kisses my lips softly and he's gone when I open my eyes, leaving the curtains swaying in his wake.

"Bells" my dad calls as he knocks softly on the door.

"Come in."

"Hey" his smiling face pops into my room. "I didn't think you'd be awake yet. Are you ready for presents?"

"Yeah I'll be down in a sec." I tell him and he nods before going downstairs.

Peeling myself out of bed, I throw on some sweats and pull my hair into a messy bun before going downstairs.

Neither my dad or I is very good at decorating, so our house looks almost the same as it normally does. There is a tree in the corner that is covered in homemade ornaments, each made by me at different points in my life. There are two stockings hanging on the staircase, and a small wreath on the front door. I tried to hang some mistletoe in the doorway but my dad threw it in the trash grumbling about Edward and I kissing under his roof.

"Come on, B" Dad says from his chair.

He's wearing his standard sleep pants and t shirt but he has a Santa hat perched on his head.

"Alright dad, I'm here." I plop on the couch and pull a blanket over my legs. "You go first."

We have a system when it comes to Christmas. We each get each other a fun gag gift and then we cook a huge breakfast together. In past years we've spent the rest of Christmas day at a local homeless shelter volunteering with the rest of the Forks police department. This year dad and I volunteered on Christmas Eve instead. After breakfast today we're going over to the Cullen's to celebrate with them, and then I'll be spending the night there with Edward. Dad grumbled about that for a bit but he's gotten a little better about Edward and I being together since I'm an adult and we're engaged.

"Here you go dad. Enjoy" I hand him his gift with a smirk.

"This is great, Bells." He laughs as he pulls the paper off his new socks which have a words printed on the soles that say "If you can read this bring me a beer."

He slips the wool socks on his feet before handing me my present.

It's a giant box that I can barely get my arms around. What in the world could he have gotten me thetas this big? Once I tear all of the paper off, I find that the box is taped and I have to get a knife from the kitchen to cut it open. Inside the box is another, slightly smaller box which is also wrapped and taped. Four boxes later and I open the last shoebox sized one to finally find my present. It's a candle and when I turn it over to read the label, I bust out laughing. It says "My love is like a candle. Forget me and I'll burn your house down."

When I open it, it smells like a campfire and it makes me laugh harder.

"Thanks dad. I love it." I tell him and watch his eyes sparkle. "And trust me I won't forget." I wink at him and he grins.

"Come on B. You make the eggs and bacon, I'll make the french toast." He says and I follow him into the kitchen.

* * *

"I'll never get used to how big this house is." Dad grumbles as we pull into the Cullens' driveway.

"Well they have 7 people living there so it has to be big dad."

"Yeah I guess."

I sling my overnight bag over my shoulder and walk up to the house with him next to me. The bag really only contains my present for Edward. Any clothes or toiletries I would need are already here, but my dad doesn't know that.

"Bella! Charlie! Merry Christmas!" Esme greets us at the door pulling us both in for hugs.

"Merry Christmas, Esme" I tell her and giggle as I watch my dad's face turn red when she hugs him.

"Come in, come in." She says ushering us into the living room.

"Whoa" Charlie whispers stunned.

I want to laugh because that is exactly what my reaction was when I first saw the Cullens' house decorated for Christmas.

"I know, Charlie. Alice tends to go a little overboard." Carlisle says as he comes over to shake hands with dad and drop a kiss to my forehead.

"You can say that again." Dad grunts beside me.

The house truly does look like a winter wonderland. There is garland strung up and down the staircase and along all of the doorways. The tree looks about 10 feet tall and is covered in what looks like hundreds of delicate, sparkling ornaments. There are giant, ornate stockings along the fireplace and mistletoe in every doorway.

"Come on in you two. Make yourselves comfortable. There are snacks in the kitchen if you're hungry. We just finished lunch but I'm sure I could whip something up for you if you're hungry." Esme says winking at me when my dad isn't looking.

"We're fine, Esme. Thanks." I tell her. I'm still stuffed from breakfast.

I'm about to sit down on the sofa when Edward comes down the stairs looking like a male model in dark jeans and a cream colored sweater. He immediately comes over and takes my hand, pulling it to his lips and kissing it gently.

"Merry Christmas, love." He whispers to me.

"Hello Charlie. Merry Christmas." Edward says shaking his hand.

"Merry Christmas to you too Edward. I hope you're not going to give my hand the same treatment as my daughter's."

Edward laughs and drops his hand.

"No sir, I'm not." He says chuckling.

"Well that's good" Dad grunts as Edward pulls me next to him on the loveseat.

"Would anyone like some eggnog?" Carlisle asks coming out of the kitchen smirking and carrying a tray with drinks on it.

My dad grunts a thank you as he takes one of the mugs and takes a big gulp.

* * *

"Well that was relatively painless." Edward says as we walk into his room.

"Yeah I guess. Although I think I could have lived without seeing my dad get tipsy on eggnog and play guitar hero with Emmett."

"At least he had fun" Edward says through his laughter.

"True."

Suddenly Edward pulls me into his arms and melts his lips against mine.

"Why don't you get ready for bed, love, and then I can give you your present." He grins against my lips.

His scent is intoxicating as I nod and plant a kiss on his jaw.

Grabbing a t shirt out of Edward's dresser, I go into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

When I come back into the bedroom dressed in just Edward's t shirt, he's sitting on the bed practically bouncing with excitement. I grab his present out of my bag and climb on the bed sitting beside him.

"Do you want to go first?" I ask him.

"Nope." He says putting a small box in my lap and gesturing for me to open it.

I tear off the paper and open the box to find a beautiful silver necklace with a crystal heart dangling from it.

"Edward it's beautiful." I tell him as he reaches for the necklace and fastens it around my neck.

"The charm belonged to my mother, and I thought it was fitting. You've had my heart since that first day in the high school parking lot."

"It's gorgeous, I love it." I tell him kissing him sweetly and licking my lips when I pull away.

"Here" I say placing his present carefully in his lap.

He grins at me before carefully tearing into the paper. His jaw drops open and moisture fills his eyes when he see the antique book in his hands.

"Bella" he whispers. "This is too much. How did you…" He trails off as he carefully and reverently opens the book to explore the pages.

"I knew when I saw how much you loved it that I had to buy it for you. Reading this book with your mother is such a special memory and I wanted you to have a tangible reminder."

"But when did you…" It only takes a second before his eyes snap up to mine. "This is why you were outside the bookstore that night isn't it?"

I bite my lip avoiding his gaze as I nod.

"Bella…you almost died so you could buy this for me?" He asks incredulously.

"Edward it wouldn't have mattered if I were there to buy this book for you or if I was there to buy something for me. What happened still would have happened, but it's over now. I'm okay and I get to give you this gift. Please don't be upset or angry with me. I would gladly do it again if it meant you could have this reminder of your mother and your childhood."

Setting the book down gently, he pulls me into his lap.

"I'm not upset with you angel. Thank you. This is the best gift I've ever gotten."

"Really?" I ask looking up into his face.

"Really" he smiles and kisses me softly. "But you're never going to Port Angeles alone ever again."

 **Well there you have it. What did you think? Could you feel how uncomfortable Charlie was? It's probably a good thing he had all that eggnog. I hoped you liked it. Let me know in a review. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
